Member of an investigation mission for African journalists, supported by the Ukrainian government, we had the honor of participating in a round table with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. This dialogue was mainly focused on the current war, but also on the relations between Ukraine and Africa and the cereal trade. Our delegation went to kyiv on November 14, 2023 for this meeting, offering each journalist participating in the mission in Ukraine the opportunity to ask questions to the president.
From the start, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is fighting for freedom and opposes the colonizing ambitions of Russia. He highlighted the fundamental difference with Russia, highlighting Ukraine’s refusal to use disinformation to establish international relations. He said that Ukraine does not seek to force countries to become his friends, unlike Russia, which uses strength and disinformation for this purpose.
Ukraine and Africa
Zelensky clearly expressed Ukraine’s desire to create partnerships with all nations, including African countries and the African Union. He insisted on the importance of these relationships, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, traditions and language. He stressed that Ukraine does not intend to influence African countries which are not particularly friendly, stressing that those who are not friendly do not simply know Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine was ready to invest in the mineral wealth of African countries, explaining that the war has imposed financial challenges, currently requiring significant expenditure in military production. Zelensky pleaded for the establishment of strategic relations between Ukraine and Africa, stressing that the history of African countries contributes to a better understanding of the struggle of Ukraine for its freedom.
“Russia has attacked Ukraine and we are not altruistic when we claim that we want to help Africa by providing it with wheat. We ask our European partners to support us so that this corridor of wheat works. I will not try to change your opinion on Ukraine and on the image you have of it, but I will do everything to make your opinion change your own, that is to say have more information on Ukraine unlike the disinformation conveyed by Russia …
… We fight for a deeper understanding of the situation in Ukraine and for that we must communicate. I am even ready to come to Africa to have the maximum contact with the maximum of leaders, ”specifies Zelensky.
On the political level, Zelensky underlined the positive actions of Ukraine, such as the opening of embassies even in wartime, considering these acts as important political investments. He expressed his desire to change perceptions on Ukraine, confronting the challenges linked to the disinformation propagated by Russia. The president underlined the need for increased communication for a more in -depth understanding of the situation in Ukraine, even saying that they are ready to go to Africa to establish contacts with local leaders.
Ukraine and the support of the West
Faced with the possibility of reducing financial aid to Ukraine, Zelensky stressed the importance of any form of assistance. It identified two main types of support: the support in modern armaments, crucial for Ukraine, and the financial support used as social compensation. Zelensky admitted that any reduction in financial support would place Ukraine in a difficult situation, having to choose between the war effort and provide essential social services. He anticipated a possible crisis, but stressed that this would not prevent Ukraine from continuing its struggle, recalling how the country had resisted at the start of the Russian invasion using its own resources.
“However, to say that Ukraine depends only on foreign assistance is not true. But without this foreign support, Russia will be in a better position than Ukraine, ”underlines the Ukrainian president.
The dialogue was mainly focused on the current war, but also on relations between Ukraine and Africa and the cereal trade (photo: office of the president of Ukraine)
Cereal hubs in Africa?
The concerns of African countries with regard to the interruption of cereal exports and other food products from Ukraine have been discussed. Zelensky explained the impact of the withdrawal of Russia from the Black Sea cereal initiative, highlighting the significant increase in cereal prices.
However, he reassured by saying that the parallel cereal corridor of Ukraine would solve the problem. He explained that Ukraine even plans to create cereal centers in other countries, including South Africa, to diversify the sources of cereals and reduce dependence on the circumstances related to the war.
( kyiv on alert after two months of respite!)
Zelensky noted that more than 32 million tonnes of cereals and other food products had been exported between August 2022 and July 2023. When Russia retired, this increased the price of cereals from 200 to 300%. But he assured Africans that the parallel cereal corridor of Ukraine would solve the problem.
Russia has tried to hinder Ukrainian exports by attacking its cereal export facilities, in particular by launching missiles on its main port, Odessa. Zelensky said Ukraine managed to transport his cereals in part because Ukrainian attacks against Russian ships and planes had forced them to withdraw from the Ukrainian coast.
The conflict to the Middle East
Finally, Zelensky answered questions about the perception of Ukraine in the context of events in the Middle East. He stressed that Russia, via its ally Iran, sought to divert world attention from Ukraine, similar to its actions in Syria in 2014. He estimated that the situation in the Middle East could have been avoided.
As for the rest of the war, Zelensky has been categorical: Ukraine must put an end to the conflict, otherwise it will happen again. He underlined the need for a radical technological breakthrough, insisting on the importance of a massive injection of sophisticated western weapons, including F16 American planes and abrams American tanks.
(Walid Ben Youssef is in Ukraine for an investigation mission for African journalists, sponsored by the Ukrainian government).
