Kuleba arrives in Malawi as his Africa tour begins

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Malawi as the first step in his fourth diplomatic tour in Africa, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 5.

Kuleba met with Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera in Lilongwe, thanking the country for its consistent stance on Russian aggression while highlighting Ukraine's humanitarian assistance.

"We appreciate Malawi's firm and consistent stance on Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as its support for the peace summit communique," the minister said.

In a social media post, Kuleba wrote that Ukraine has decided to assist Malawi as part of Kyiv's Grain From Ukraine program.

"Ukraine is not only grateful; we also want to be helpful. We are aware of the severe impact of climate change on Malawi's food security," he added.

As of early July, Ukraine has shipped 221,000 metric tons of agricultural products to 10 countries in Africa and Asia under the initiative, providing food to 8 million people, said Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office.

Ukraine and Malawi also discussed the potential for cooperation in agriculture, the pharmaceutical sector, digitalization, and other fields, according to Kuleba.

Kuleba's next stops will be Zambia and Mauritius, adding them to the list of countries the minister has toured in the past years to mobilize support on the continent.

In the meantime, the transitional government of Mali said on Aug. 4 that it is severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine over its alleged support of Tuareg-led rebels. The statement followed reports that Malian soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries suffered significant losses in recent clashes with anti-government groups in the north of Mali.

Andrii Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson, said that the rebels "received useful information, and not just that," to fight Russian mercenaries but did not explicitly confirm Kyiv's involvement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in December 2023 that developing ties with African countries is one of Ukraine's foreign policy priorities for 2024.

Unlike Kyiv, Moscow has long nurtured good relations with the governments on the African continent.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov toured Africa in July 2022, February 2023, and June 2024 to ramp up support for Moscow and blame Ukraine for a lack of food supplies largely caused by Russia's attempted Black Sea blockade.

Mali breaks diplomatic ties with Ukraine

The transitional government of Mali is severing diplomatic relations with Ukraine over its alleged support of rebel coalitions, government spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga announced on Aug. 4.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert