President Paul Kagame Wednesday met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in the Russian Capital, Moscow.

Russia is host to the 2018 World Cup final scheduled to kick off Thursday this week.

The two heads of state met less than two weeks after the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, visited Kigali. During his visit the two countries committed to strengthen their relations in defense, agriculture and education among other areas.

President Kagame who is also the current head of the African Union, also met with Minister Lavrov in Kigali. The AU and Russia are currently working out a cooperation agreement.

The 2018 World Cup has five African countries taking part. These are; Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria.

"We have done everything possible to ensure that our guests, athletes, professionals, and of course, the fans, will feel at home in Russia. We have opened our country and our hearts to the world. Welcome to the FIFA World Cup!" said Putin in a welcome message to players and fans.

Rwanda will this year host the 8th FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 25 to 26.