Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa with a helicopter as Moscow pushes for closer ties with the southern African country. Which is also under heavy sanctions.

Zimbabwe’s Information Ministry said on Twitter that the gift will be rebranded as X.

It said the “presidential helicopter” will soon be delivered to Zimbabwe.

Russia also announced a donation of grain that included maize and wheat to Zimbabwe, one of the six African countries that will receive free food from Moscow.

Read: Putin promises free grain at Russia-Africa Summit

President Mnangagwa is among African leaders that attended the just ended Russia - Africa Summit in St Petersburg.

He said the helicopter and grain donations showed that it was important for countries facing Western sanctions to maintain close ties.

"Logically, victims of sanctions must cooperate, and this is the cooperation we are seeing,” President Mnangagwa said.

“We are grateful. Zimbabwe is surviving as a result of cooperation both in agriculture and in the provision of technology and education.”

President Putin had told the summit that Russia was donating up to 50 000 tonnes of grain to each of Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic and Eritrea.

Read: Russia-Africa summit: What Vladmir Putin stands to gain

The Zimbabwean leader said his country was food secure but was grateful for the donation.

“We are grateful,” President Mnangagwa told journalists. “We are not in any grain deficit at all. We are food-secure, he is just adding to what we already have.”

Both Zimbabwe and Russia are under western sanctions and have built close ties.

In May, Zimbabwe took delivery of 18 helicopters from Russia in a deal worth $320 million in a deal the government claimed was a public-private partnership.

The deal, however, raised eyebrows as it was not approved by Parliament as per norm and the cost of the helicopters at $10 million each was queried.  

President Mnangagwa defended the deal saying Zimbabwe needed to survive sanctions against the West through cooperation with friendly countries such as Russia.