President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, together with the Presidents of the African Peace Initiative, has pledged to offer support in resolving the disastrous Russia-Ukraine war through open dialogue between the dual European countries.
The revelation came after South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, hosted a prolific virtual meeting on June 5, 2023, with Presidents of the African Peace Initiative. In collaboration with the Brazzaville Foundation, ideas on how Africa can facilitate a peaceful resolution through open dialogue between Russia and Ukraine were discussed.
President Museveni explained that the war not only affects Africa but also threatens world peace if it gets worse than it is now.
He added that the war has birthed sanctions that have negatively impacted banking and marine transport, which, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), have skyrocketed global energy prices.
“This war affects all of us, and it can get worse than it is now. It is threatening world peace, and the sanctions have impacted banking and marine transport, among others,” President Museveni said.
President Museveni advised Ukraine and Russia to learn how the African continent has solved conflicts, citing those of South Africa (Apartheid), Congo, and Somalia, among others.
“I therefore pledge our support and contribution to the peace process through dialogue between Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
What sowed the first seeds of the Russia-Ukraine war?
In 2003, Russia attempted to integrate Ukraine into a new Russia-led single economic space with Russia. However, the move came with numerous conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine gas disputes, due to Ukraine’s growing cooperation with the European Union and bid to join NATO.
However, recent news sources from Ukraine show that the war erupted in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and began extending military support to the Ukraine’s separatists in the south and eastern parts of the country, who demand independence from the Ukraine’s central government in Kyiv.
What is the current situation in Ukraine?
As of June 6, 2023, Ukraine’s military authorities have accused Russia of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled part of the Kherson region. The dam’s damage risks the lives of Ukrainians due to flooding.
However, Vladimir Saldo, the mayor of the Kherson region, has retaliated, stating that Kyiv struck the dam as a distraction from the failures of the counteroffensive in the country’s east.
