After consistently begging Africa for support in condemning Russia, Ukraine has now told African leaders to stay out of European affairs, describing them as incompetent.
A peaceful delegation led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an attempt to broker a peaceful deal between Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
However, soon after meeting the Ukrainian president, Zelenskyy’s advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, described the African leaders as incompetent and urged them to stay out of European affairs. Podolyak said Ramaphosa was leading a team with a misinformation agenda rather than pursuing peace.
“The African delegation had no goal of settling the conflict or finding a solution. Obviously, this is not their task. It is not at their level or competency. They just want to be on the misinformation agenda and resolve their own issues, such as the increasing resources they receive from Russia, including food supplies,” he said.
Podolyak said the trip was a mere fishing expedition for information on behalf of Russia.
The sentiments came after some delegates were subjected to racist treatment in Poland while en route to Ukraine, when President Ramaphosa’s security detail was subjected to a strip search.
In August last year, Zelensky called Chakwera to lobby for Malawi’s support.
