Kiev's performance has been poor in the "region" for many years
Ukraine seeks to win the support of the "Global South" in its war with Russia
The leaders of the major industrialized countries fear that the Third World will abandon Ukraine's political support and its problem will remain purely Western. A.B
Dmytro Kuleba: Africa Tour Mission Robters
image
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba began a tour of several African countries this week as Kiev stepped up its wartime diplomacy to challenge Russian influence in the "global South" and win support for its vision as the only way to peace.
The term global South refers to Latin America, Africa and much of Asia.
During his visit to Morocco as part of his second tour in Africa since the start of the Russian war against his country in February last year, Kuleba said that his main priority is to convince African countries to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan.
Important negotiations
"There are important negotiations ahead with leaders and companies in Africa," he wrote on Instagram, saying he aimed to rally support for the unhindered flow of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and secure new opportunities for Ukrainian companies.
Kuleba's tour follows Zelenskiy's three-day diplomatic efforts at the recent Arab summit and then the Group of Seven summit in Japan. In addition to his meetings with leaders of the Group of Seven countries, the Ukrainian president also met with the leaders of India, Indonesia, Iraq and the Saudi crown prince during his trips.
Accelerating endeavors
Political analysts say Ukraine is accelerating its efforts to win support from the global South, noting that Kiev's efforts have gained more importance, especially as rival peace plans to end the war in Ukraine emerge in other capitals.
China, which has promoted a plan for peace in Ukraine, sent a senior envoy to Kiev, Moscow and European capitals to discuss a "political settlement" this month. South Africa said last week that Kiev and Moscow had agreed to discuss a peace plan with African leaders. The Vatican also launched appeals for peace this month.
Alyona Zhtmanchuk, a political expert and head of the New Europe Research Center in Kiev, said that "the urgency comes as a result of the peace plans that are emerging."
"At some point, Ukraine realized that it had underperformed in the Global South for very many years."
Peace Summit in July
Kiev says Zelensky's 10-point "peace formula", which provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, should be the basis for any settlement of Russia's war.
In a speech to the Group of Seven earlier this week, Zelenskiy proposed holding a global peace summit in July to present his plan. Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said his country would like to host the summit.
Rasmussen said it would be "necessary to gain the interest and participation of countries such as India, Brazil and China."
While the West has pumped military, financial and humanitarian aid into Ukraine, Russia has strengthened its ties with the powers of the Global South during the war, including by selling more energy supplies to India and China.
Strengthening the relationship
Russia has been cementing ties in Africa for years and plans to hold an Africa-Russia summit in St. Petersburg in July. Veteran Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov toured the continent last year and has visited at least twice this year.
Nigel Gold-Davies, an expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: "There is a growing realisation in Europe and Ukraine that there is a risk that this war will be seen as fundamentally a European conflict, and that other countries do not need to worry about it or condemn it." "What we have here is the reaction of Europe and Ukraine to Russia's coordinated efforts to create a narrative in the world about war that does not include condemnation of the war and seeks to preserve the relationship (of countries) with Russia," he said.
Kuleba did not reveal the stops of his current tour of Africa.
His first tour of the continent in October marked visits to Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Kenya, before cutting them short when Russia launched a missile and drone attack to target his country's vital infrastructure ahead of winter.
• The goal of the Kuleba tour is to rally support for the unhindered flow of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and to secure new opportunities for his country's companies.
• Kiev says Zelensky's 10-point "peace formula", which provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, should be the basis for any settlement of the war launched by Russia.