Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia had been attempting to tighten its relationship with Djibouti, which had drawn closer to China and is a member of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2015, Russia resumed diplomatic relations with Djibouti that had been ended in 1978, with a meeting between Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and Djibouti Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mahmoud Ali Yusuf.

[2] In 2021, Russia and Djibouti entered an agreement on cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, investment activity, education, and healthcare.

[3] On 25 January 2022, the summit "Russia-Ethiopia-Djibouti: Prospects for Business Development" was held between dignitaries from Russia, Ethiopia and Djibouti, and was hosted by the Coordinating Committee for Economic Cooperation with African Countries of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation to further the presence of Russian companies in the region.

[5] Russia was planning to build its own naval base in the city because Russian warships routinely use the port to resupply, and China has stated Russia is free to use the Chinese base to dock its ships, such as the Admiral Kuznetsov.