Kuleba meets with African Union leaders in Ethiopia

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with leaders from the African Union during his visit to Ethiopia on May 24, the Foreign Ministry reported.

Kuleba spoke about Ukraine's efforts to strengthen its relations with African nations with Azali Assoumani, the chairman of the African Union and president of the Comoros Islands, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairman of the African Union commission.

"President Zelensky's active dialogue with African leaders and my first-ever tour of the African continent last fall launched the renaissance of Ukrainian-African relations," Kuleba said, as quoted by the Foreign Ministry.

Ukraine is seeking to increase its cooperation with regard to food security and providing insight gained from Ukraine's military diplomacy, as well as countering information warfare, the ministry wrote.

Kuleba also mentioned the negative impact Russia's war in Ukraine has had on African nations, including rising food prices and the Wagner mercenary group's presence on the continent.

"Russia's war against Ukraine is felt all over the world, in particular on the African continent. It is critically important to join forces to put an end to Russian aggression based on the principles of the UN Charter and the Ukrainian Peace Formula," Kuleba added.

According to the Foreign Ministry, 123 ships with 3.3 million tons of agricultural products have been exported to African countries since the beginning of May, which is leading to the food situation in a number of African countries becoming more stabilized.

The UN and Turkey-brokered deal, first signed in July 2022, has been paramount in subduing soaring food prices worldwide. Russia's all-out war prevented Ukraine, one of the world's top grain suppliers, from exporting agricultural products from its Black Sea ports.

Kuleba called on African nations to denounce Russia's efforts to destabilize global food security.

"Russia should not use food as a weapon. Unhindered export of Ukrainian grains will help African countries to get the agricultural products they need. We call on the African Union to clearly declare to Russia the inadmissibility of its destructive policy," Kuleba said.

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Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. “We must complete our recovery from the embers of dead empires in a way that does not plunge us back into new forms of

Kyiv IndependentRoland Freudenstein