DR ‹ › Three days after the first round of talks on Western Sahara wrapped up on February 8 and 9 at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Algeria turned to Russia for support amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration. Algeria's ambassador to Moscow, Toufik Djouama, who has been in his post since October, sought a meeting with Russian officials. On Thursday, February 12, he met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov. According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Sahara issue was a focal point of their discussions. Algiers is looking to secure Moscow's backing for the next phases of negotiations, following pressure from Washington to engage in the talks and consider a roadmap based on Morocco's autonomy initiative. This outreach to Russia is part of a series of diplomatic efforts made before the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797 on October 31. Despite multiple meetings between the Algerian ambassador and senior Russian officials, as well as two phone conversations between Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Moscow ultimately refrained from vetoing the U.S.-led draft resolution.
