Ukraine advisor rejects Africa’s involvement in European affairs

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

 A Ukrainian presidential advisor and negotiator has rejected African leaders' involvement in European affairs.

Egypt's Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuly, Senegal's President Macky Sall, President of the Union of Comoros Azali Assoumani, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema walk to attend a joint press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023.

This comes as an African delegation led by President Cyril Ramaphosa travelled to Ukraine and Russia to broker peace between the two countries.

Mykhailo Podolyak, said in an interview that Ramaphosa and his delegation of African leaders, had no business being in their country to negotiate a peace settlement between the two countries.

Podolyak is known as one of the advisers to the Chief of Staff of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He said African leaders had neither the capability nor the power to get involved in matters they knew nothing about, adding that this was beyond their understanding.

Ukrainian media quoted Podolyak as saying Africa and its leaders were using the failed trip to achieve their geopolitical goals in favour of Russia, which provides Africa with food supplies.

"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, like 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 most important thing that they had to do was win the information task in favour of Russia by saying they don’t see any missiles fired in the air," he said.

This comes after a backlash to Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya saying he had not heard any explosion denoting a missile attack in Kyiv while he was in the Ukrainian city with the African delegation.

According to the Kyiv Post, its reporters, including "every other media organisation present in the city – saw and heard the missiles in the skies over the capital and witnessed several loud explosions as they were intercepted."

Magwenya maintained that he had not denied there had been a missile attack: "I didn’t deny anything. All I said was that, and I still say it, despite the insults and vitriolic responses aimed at me. I did not hear any explosion, see any missile, or hear any siren."

Many South Africans have slammed Podolyak’s comments as yet another imperialistic and racial onslaught on the continent.

His comments come on the back of what President Cyril Ramaphosa head of presidential security, Wally Rhoode describing as “sabotage and racism” meted out to the South African team of advisers, security detail which included journalists who were prevented from leaving Polish capital of Warsaw on Thursday.

In videos released by the reporters on social media, Ramaphosa’s head of security, pointed to racism and sabotage as reasons for having been prevented from disembarking the aircraft.

Rhoode told journalists on Thursday that the Polish government was placing Ramaphosa’s life at risk, adding that this was the first time he had encountered such a situation while having a diplomatic passport. Rhoode said the Polish police had said their South African counterparts did not have permits for entry to the country.

“They are delaying us. They are putting the life of our president in jeopardy because we could have been in Kyiv this afternoon already,” he said.

“I want you guys to see this, how racist they are. When we started to open our packages, they wanted to confiscate our firearms, which is why we had to put them back,” he said.

On Sunday, the Economic Freedom Fighters called for the South African government downgrade the Poland embassy following the recent “racist” incident.

The party blamed the events on the non-aligned stance adopted by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Russia-Ukraine war.

However, Magwenya who alog with the President were hosing joint working visit by Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands and Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark had not returned The Star’s enquiries on the recent comments by one of Zalenskyy’s adivisers.