Sudan’s deputy leader is traveling to Russia for talks, days after the North African nation’s army said it may get weapons in exchange for letting the Kremlin establish a military fueling station on the Red Sea coast.

Former rebel leader Malik Agar will meet President Vladimir Putin to discuss Sudanese-Russian relations and ways to improve ties, according to a statement from Sudan’s military-backed government on Monday. The Sudanese ministers of finance, mining and foreign affairs are also on the several-day trip that includes attendance at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, it said.

Russia has long coveted a foothold on Sudan’s 530-mile (853-kilometer) coastline, seeking to gain influence on one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors that lies south of the Suez Canal. Its navy officials also visited Sudan’s neighbor Eritrea in April to discuss deepening ties in the defense, security and mining industries.

Read More: Sudan’s Army Deepens Ties With Russia, Iran as Civil War Rages

Sudan’s move is likely to stoke Western concern about Russia’s growing profile in Africa, where Moscow has also forged tight relations with governments in Mali and the Central African Republic. The initiative comes as the Sudanese military strives to regain swathes of territory lost to the Rapid Support Forces militia in a civil war that erupted in April 2023 and may have killed as many as 150,000 people.

Another source of unease for the US and its allies comes from the Sudanese army’s revitalized ties with Iran. The Islamic Republic has supplied armed drones that have helped the military regain control of much of the capital, Khartoum.