He said Mali had bought the helicopters in a contract agreed in December 2020 to support its armed forces in their battle alongside French, European and UN troops with insurgents linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.
"Mali bought these helicopters from the Russia Federation, a friendly country with which Mali has always maintained a very fruitful partnership," he told local media on the tarmac after the plane landed in the capital Bamako, adding that the weapons and ammunition were given by Russia.
Diplomatic and security sources have told Reuters that Mali's year-old military junta is close to recruiting the Russian Wagner Group, and France has launched a diplomatic drive to thwart it, saying such an arrangement is incompatible with a continued French presence.
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