Thanks for this interview and your consideration to the unjustified Russian conflict in opposition to Ukraine. First, I want to emphasise that Ukraine considers Nigeria as one in every of its key companions in Africa. We sit up for creating complete and mutually helpful cooperation. In our opinion, there are quite a few alternatives for the numerous enhancement of bilateral ties. The collaboration potential between our nations is much from being totally tackled, so we hope that by joint efforts we can considerably intensify our fruitful partnership and convey it to a qualitatively new degree. In 2021, the amount of products and companies turnover between the 2 nations constituted USD196.7million. Earlier than the conflict, about 10,000 Nigerian college students had been learning in Ukrainian academic establishments. On July 12, the President of Ukraine appointed me because the Particular Consultant of Ukraine for the Center-East and Africa. My portfolio contains: elaborating ideas and methods to develop relations with the Center East and Africa; making proposals to the President of Ukraine on coordinating actions of the Ukrainian authorities within the realisation of bilateral and multilateral initiatives and initiatives with the related nations, in addition to Ukraine’s participation in worldwide fora regarding issues decision and urgent problems with the Center Jap and African nations improvement; coordinating and making proposals regarding Ukraine’s place on worldwide and different conflicts within the respective nations. The re-establishment of the Institute of the Particular Consultant demonstrates Ukraine’s profound curiosity to reinvigorate the dialogue and contacts with the nations of the African Union, particularly within the context of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in opposition to Ukraine.
*What are the steps taken to strengthen the present relationship between African nations and Ukraine?*
Now we have resumed the export of grain to African nations and began granting state scholarships for African college students to cowl tuition in Ukraine. This matter is regulated by the related inter-governmental agreements on cooperation within the sphere of schooling. The President of Ukraine has already held greater than a dozen of conversations with the leaders of various African nations. The Minister for International Affairs of Ukraine has had about 20 phone calls along with his African counterparts because the Russian invasion began, in addition to giving a number of interviews devoted to the Russian unprovoked aggression in opposition to Ukraine and the methods to reinforce Ukraine’s cooperation with African nations. Ukraine invited the leaders of the African nations to take part within the 2nd Summit of the Crimean Platform on August 24, 2022. Ukraine is planning to enter into preferential commerce treaties with some African nations to take away the present boundaries, which hinder the full-scale improvement of our commerce and financial relations with Africa.
*Not too long ago, Russia’s International Affairs Minister, Sergei Lavrov, made a tour of 4 African nations. What’s your tackle this go to to Africa?*
The Russian facet makes use of such visits to disseminate disinformation and anti-Ukrainian narratives. The worldwide meals disaster has been attributable to Russia’s conflict in opposition to Ukraine and the blockade of the primary Ukrainian seaports within the Black Sea. Russia will not be solely conducting a neo-colonizer coverage towards Ukraine, however it is usually accountable for destabilising the political scenario in a number of African nations by sending its personal army corporations that assist to topple respectable governments, commit army crimes in opposition to the native inhabitants, and pillage sources of the African nations. Many worldwide consultants regard Lavrov’s go to as a failure. The African nations perceive the actual causes for worldwide rigidity very effectively and realise that Africa is on the verge of starvation on account of the Russian armed aggression. This menace was purposefully and artificially created by Moscow. African nations are already experiencing the results of those Russia’s irresponsible actions since Ukraine is without doubt one of the world’s main producers and suppliers of agricultural merchandise. As well as, Russia is actively making an attempt to make use of its power sources as a weapon and a blackmail device. It’s creating a man-made deficit, which causes the expansion of costs on the earth power market, together with within the African nations. Russia is purposefully instigating the worldwide disaster as a result of it desires to make use of individuals’s sufferings to strain the nations that launched sanctions in opposition to it. I wish to emphasise that the sanctions coverage has just one function: to cease Russia from making an attempt to show Ukraine into its colony. The Russian Federation, which is presently below sanctions strain, merely can not supply something to Africa within the context of guaranteeing the financial improvement of those nations, democratic progress, overcoming poverty and unemployment.
*With the rising enhance of terrorism, would you say the proliferation of arms has something to do with the conflict and the way cautious do you suppose NATO allies have been with weapons not moving into flawed palms?*
Russian propaganda spreads false narratives about conflict fatigue within the West and tries to discredit Ukraine’s army forces. It disseminates accusations of ongoing violations and pending threats of Western weapons misuse or smuggling by Ukraine to undermine army help offered to Ukraine by our companions. Ukraine strictly complies with all worldwide non-proliferation treaties and agreements. The Nationwide Safety and Protection Council (NSDC) and the Ministry of Protection (MoD) of Ukraine have developed a strict and complex system of monitoring and management of weapons obtained from worldwide companions.On July 21, the module of the data and analytical system “SOTA” was offered in Ukraine to observe the provision of weapons to Ukraine from our companions. This module consists of three layers: public info; info for official use; and secret info. The highest army and political officers have entry to the “SOTA” system. With the assistance of that module, it’s potential to hint what provides of weapons are prepared for cargo, on the best way, or obtained by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Specifically, the system collects knowledge on sorts, portions, producers, and nations supplying Western weapons, in addition to knowledge on their supply to Ukraine and particular person army items. This can be a utterly closed system supposed to be used solely by the very best political and army management of the related nation. These knowledge won’t be publicly out there. There may be one other system, “Korovai”, which is presently being finalised by specialists of the Ministry of Digital Transformation along with specialists from the Pentagon. It is going to be launched in full pressure in a while. And since 2019, the inner system of NATO’s LOGFAS armament accounting system (its restricted model) has been built-in with some Ukrainian state entities. Every thing from amount to logistics and desires is recorded there. Ukraine’s worldwide companions will all the time remember concerning the location of the weapons. On July 19, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated the institution by the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) of Ukraine a Fee to supervise the provision of Western weapons to Ukraine. The fee contains representatives of all parliamentary factions and teams. The President assured that the Western companions had been already “totally knowledgeable” about how Ukraine makes use of the weapons offered by them, so this extra instrument of parliamentary management was launched “to forestall any manipulations by Russian propagandists”. The Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) of Ukraine established the Non permanent Particular Fee on monitoring the handover and use of worldwide materials and technical help throughout martial regulation.
*America is being accused of selling the conflict to boost the arms business and its provide, do you agree with this narrative?*
Russia is committing aggression in opposition to our nation, which is 28 instances smaller than Russia. Ukraine wouldn’t be capable to protect its existence with out the help of the USA and different allies. We’re very grateful to the USA and our western mates. Evidently the Russian Federation understands solely the language of pressure, and our superb armed forces reveal the most effective of it. Ukrainian diplomacy additionally successfully fights the aggressor in info and authorized spheres. To stop the conflict, Russia has to de-occupy all of the quickly seized territories of Ukraine. Solely then, we will begin negotiations about Russia’s capitulation and cost of reparations for the harm inflicted on Ukraine. Sadly, it isn’t potential to deliver again to life individuals who turned harmless victims of the Russian invaders, however at the very least all of the criminals have to be delivered to justice.
*Not too long ago, a safety knowledgeable in a Nigerian nationwide each day mentioned a few of the weapons despatched to Ukraine will discover their option to Africa, particularly Nigeria, the place insecurity is on the rise. What’s your tackle this concern?*
As I discussed earlier, the western weapons in our palms trigger a whole lot of harm to the Russians. That’s the reason they do every part potential to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to wreck our companions’ belief in direction of us. The Russian Federation has launched an info marketing campaign intending to dam the provision of weapons to Ukraine and to separate the worldwide coalition supporting our nation. All these supplies the place Ukraine is accused of smuggling and reselling the weapons delivered by our companions are faked by Russia. It makes use of a variety of propaganda devices, so-called influencers, consultants, mass media, and politicians not solely in Russia but in addition abroad. The extra western weapons will change the scenario on the battlefield in favour of Ukraine, the extra hysterical Russia might be. Russian totalitarian regime might be utilizing propaganda to compensate for its collapsing army machine.mHowever, these Russian efforts to discredit Ukraine are in useless. Ukraine was the primary one to provoke, and now, collectively with our western companions, is actively implementing complete monitoring and management system over the equipped weapons. These mechanisms have been launched and they’re going to additional enhance. The variety of weapons offered and their sophistication reveal the extent of belief in Ukraine, regardless of all of the efforts of our enemy. There have been no allegations of distrust from any official authority of our companions. Some allies despatched their representatives to Ukraine, who might observe the usage of the offered weapons. We’re all in favour of most transparency within the issues of western weapons provide, which is decisive for our victory over the Russian aggressor. Western weapons mixed with the heroism of the Ukrainian warriors will allow us to obtain victory a lot quicker than one would anticipate.
*A few month into the conflict, Protection Attache to Nigeria within the Ukraine Embassy, Colonel Andrii Vasyliev, mentioned the federal government of Ukraine was prepared to pull President Vladimir Putin earlier than the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice. Is that this plan nonetheless on track?*
That is nonetheless on track! For declaring conflict in opposition to Ukraine and the killing of harmless civilisan, we’re able to deliver Putin to justice earlier than the Worldwide Courtroom. We are going to guarantee Ukraine and its residents get justice as a result of very quickly, Putin should reply prices for conflict crimes. The federal government of Ukraine is prepared and really effectively ready to deliver him to justice. The federal government of Ukraine is already working to deliver Putin to justice for his crimes on the territory of Ukraine in accordance with worldwide regulation. So many Ukrainian properties have been destroyed and thousand killed. Russia and Putin have been committing conflict crimes. They didn’t adhere to the Geneva Conference. A breach of the conference is a criminal offense in opposition to humanity. Many kids have been killed and lots of others injured within the conflict.
