Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, on Wednesday lamented what he described as poor reciprocity from African countries despite his country’s efforts.
He made this known in a meeting with African journalists in Kyiv where he likened the responses from African countries to a low return on investment.
Mr Kuleba noted that Ukraine has a positive attitude towards African countries and has identified points of collaboration.
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, both countries have sought to gain support from different parts of the world.
While many European countries declared support for Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia, many African countries have remained neutral and have refused to sanction Russia although many condemned the invasion.
Mr Kuleba cited the difficulty in getting African countries to support Ukraine-related resolutions at the United Nations compared to European countries.
According to Mr Kuleba, getting African countries to support a resolution did not guarantee that they would support subsequent ones, unlike EU countries whose continuous support Ukraine has.
How did African countries vote?
Since March 2022 when the United Nations General Assembly started deliberating on Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine, African countries at the UN General have voted fairly well in favour of Ukraine.
Between 2022 to date, the Assembly has voted six times on Ukraine. During this period, African countries gave 140 votes in favour of Ukraine; 18 votes against; 122 abstentions and 44 undecided votes.
READ ALSO: Why Africa should stand by Ukraine against Russia – Foreign Minister
Mr Kuleba attributed this to 20 years of neglected relationship between Ukraine and African countries which he said his country is keen on fixing.
When asked if he thinks the said lack of reciprocity from Africa is borne out of a perceived intent to exploit, he said “We do not have desire or wish to exploit anyone.”
He added that his country’s interaction with Africa is rooted in mutually beneficial cooperation.
Earlier, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Ukrainian government announced that it would set up nine new embassies in African countries.
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