UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY TO VISIT SOUTH AFRICA

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced he plans to visit South Africa in the coming months.

According to Business Day, Zelensky plans to pay the country an official state visit in the next few months as part of his African charm offensive amid a debilitating war with Russia.

Although South Africa and Russia have a good relationship and both countries form part of BRICS along with Brazil, India and China, it seems as if the relationship between South Africa and Ukraine is something Zelenskyy is pursuing.

According to Ukraine’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa, Maksym Subh, few people realise South Africa’s dependence on Ukrainian grain and fertilizers. Subh says the relationship between Ukraine and several countries in North and East Africa collapsed because of the country’s ongoing war with Russia.

There are currently 10 Ukrainian embassies in Africa. This includes South Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Angola, Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco and Ethiopia.

Subkh has revealed that Ukraine plans to open 10 more embassies on the continent. This will be in Rwanda, Mozambique, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mauritania, Tanzania and Sudan.

Image credit: RBC Ukraine