Ukraine to fight off Russia’s influence in Africa

Ukrainian Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country will fight against Russia's influence in Africa, though he does not have any indication of what leaders from the continent are going to do in a planned peace initiative.

Kuleba, who spoke to African journalists on a conference call on Wednesday, said his country will open 10 new embassies on the continent, starting with Rwanda and Mozambique. The plan aims to boost agricultural exports to Asia and strengthen military relationships.

We are eager to build strong relationships based on the principle of 3M - mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual benefit, he said. Ukraine is not a victim and not a beggar coming to ask for help. We come to African friends, offering mutually beneficial relationships. Kuleba's comments come after his country and its allies expressed concern about the support Russia has received from some African nations and the ambivalence of others toward Russia's invasion of his country.

Some African nations, including South Africa, have abstained from United Nations resolutions condemning the invasion. South Africa also has hosted the Russian navy for exercises, invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to a BRICS summit in August, and been accused by the US ambassador of loading arms onto a Russian trip.

South Africa says it's not taking sides in the conflict and has denied supplying weapons to Russia.

The former Soviet Union supported numerous African nations in their struggle for independence, but they still supply many with weapons while mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group fight rebels on behalf of several African governments.

Kuleba said that African leaders from six nations who have announced plans to visit Moscow and Kyiv to seek peace between the two nations haven t said what their proposals are.

The leaders of Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa have not set a date for the trip. Putin, however, said he would meet the delegation soon, the Kremlin said in a statement.

President Putin welcomed the initiative of African heads of state and expressed his desire to receive the peace mission, the government of South Africa said on Thursday. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa discussed the mission with the African heads of state on June 5, the government said.

While Ukraine is willing to host the African leaders, Kuleba said, any proposal must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and must not demand an immediate cease-fire.

The conflict has hit many African nations, which has resulted in a surge in the cost of their wheat and fertilizer imports as the warring nations are key suppliers of both commodities.

We also keep working hard to ensure that the volume of imported Ukrainian grain continues to grow, despite any obstacles, Mr. Kuleba said. And by any obstacles, I mean Russia. This is the only obstacle in this world. None Permits for U.S. energy projects are so bad compared to a few other nations, that resemblely few allies emerge.