The Ukrainian response to the massive deployment of Russian diplomacy in Africa perhaps took some time to wait but came with an official statement last week by the Foreign Minister of Kiev, Dmytro Kuleba, who announced his intention to open ten new embassies in Africa.
Kiev’s goal is to counter Russian influence on the continent, also with a view to weaving an international network of friendships in a territory, Africa, which has suffered greatly from the effects of the Ukrainian conflict and in which Moscow operates effectively for years already.
“We are keen to build strong partnerships based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual benefit. Ukraine is not a victim or a beggar who comes for help. We come to visit our African friends to offer them mutually beneficial partnerships,” Kuleba said during a press conference, indicating that the first embassies in Rwanda and Mozambique will soon be opened. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy also said he had no idea what the six African heads of state were proposing as they were preparing to visit Ukraine and Russia to try to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between these two countries. Kiev’s new diplomatic offensive on the continent comes as six African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall, are due to visit Ukraine and Russia this June to present a peace plan.
Several African countries, including South Africa, Mozambique and Mali, abstained from voting at the UN General Assembly on resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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Read our focus on the growing role played by Africa on the global geopolitical chessboard: https://www.africaeaffari.it/rivista/geopolitica-africana