Ukrainian president calls on African countries not to be neutral in russia's war against Ukraine
Photo by OPU
The whole world, in particular the countries of the African continent, cannot take a neutral position regarding russia's war against Ukraine since russian aggression will have consequences for them as well.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during an online meeting with African journalists, the press service of the President's Office reports.
"I don't think there should be neutrality in war. It is the wrong attitude. There can be no neutrality between life and death. When you are neutral to war, you immediately turn from even a great power into a small one. No one sees you; the world does not see you; therefore, you do not influence the processes in the world. When you have problems, you must remember that the world can also be neutral. It's not about business; it is about people's lives. I believe that the position of neutrality is not modern," said Zelensky.
According to him, if one or another country does not have enough economic or political weight to influence the russian federation and force it to stop the war, then at least at the level of diplomacy, it is necessary to condemn death, autocracy, racism, Nazism and "racism," to condemn aggression.
Zelensky is also convinced that the world should have paid more attention to what is happening in some countries of the African continent, which have also experienced wars and tragedies.
"There is no long-distance war. It is the injustice of the security structure of the whole world, which must be changed. International institutions must be changed for them to act. Today, talking about security guarantees for Ukraine, we act as a living but tragic example, which can be later spread to other continents and for other countries," the President emphasized.
Earlier, British intelligence reported on the goals with which russian foreign minister sergei lavrov went on a tour of African countries at the end of July. We should note that at this time, Lavrov visited Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo.
As British intelligence points out, russia will likely try to use these visits to blame the West for the international food crisis and enlist the support of African states that remained neutral regarding russia's invasion of Ukraine, the summary says.
Since 2014, russia has made significant efforts to secure influence in Africa, with the Wagner group often used as one of its favorite tools of influence in the region, British intelligence officials said.
"Russia probably primarily engages with Africa because it believes it will enhance the 'Great Power' identity Russia aspires to," the review said.
The New York Times also reported that Moscow was trying to sell stolen Ukrainian grain to drought-stricken African countries. They can refuse if the West offers them an alternative. On June 4, the head of the African Union, the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, arrived in russia, where he held a meeting with the russian leader vladimir putin, trying to agree on the supply of grain.
Western journalists claim that this visit only played into the hands of the Kremlin, as it could cause disagreements regarding the common opinion about russia's invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, several African countries have an ambiguous attitude to the West's position due to the russian-Ukrainian war and sanctions against the Kremlin, as they depend on the supply of not only food but also weapons from Moscow. The situation is also exacerbated by severe drought, which may trigger famine on the continent.
Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies HORN, Hassan Khannenje, warns that African countries are unlikely to hesitate to buy grain supplied by russia because they are not concerned about the origin of the food.
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Read Rubryka's daily timeline of war: current news on Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression.
