After a brief period as one of the biggest recipients of foreign aid in the world, Russia is firmly back in the donor club. Last year, Russia’s official development assistance reached $714 million, a drop in the bucket when compared with Soviet levels, but still a sevenfold jump from 2006.
Russia’s donor comeback has been nearly a decade in the making. It was from his perch as chair of the G-8 in 2006 that President Vladimir Putin gave notice that a resurgent Russia was ready to assume the roles and responsibilities of a respected global power.
“It is clear that Russia’s growing economic potential is enabling it to play an increasingly important role in global development,” said Putin, who at the time struck a cooperative tone with his G-8 colleagues.