Ukraine pleads with Africa to quit neutrality
The foreign minister for Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba
Dar es Salaam. Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has on Monday October 10, once again called on African countries to abandon their neutral position regarding the Russian invasion of his country.
In a statement issued while on a visit to Nairobi, where he was supposed to hold an interview with The Citizen, he said his country urges Africa not to stay neutral.
“Neutrality will only encourage Russia to continue its aggression and malign activities across the world, including in Africa. Moscow must hear your message that this war is unacceptable and must stop. This week there will be a vote at the United Nations General Assembly on the resolution condemning Russia’s aggression and its unlawful attempts to annex Ukraine’s territories. Ukraine counts on your valuable support for this important document,” reads the statement by Mr Kuleba.
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The statement came on a day when Russia launched massive missile strikes across Ukraine, in what President Putin has since called a ‘retaliation against terrorism’.
“Cruise missiles and ‘kamikaze’ drones launched from Russia and Belarus have targeted residential areas, power stations, railways, trade centers and bridges in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Rivne, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and other cities,” reads the statement.
The minister further added: Following the morning attacks on Kyiv alone, at least 8 people have been killed and 24 injured. The overall death toll is rising as rescuers dig into the debris of destroyed infrastructure.
According to Mr Kuleba, it is under such devastating circumstances, that he has decided to cut short his Africa tour and return immediately to Ukraine.
“Deliberate targeting of critical civilian infrastructure is a war crime. Russia is striking power stations, which have no military purpose, to deprive the civilian population of its basic needs - heat, electricity and water - amid the onset of cold temperatures,” said Mr Kuleba
The Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24.
