Dear friends!
Dear nations of Africa!
I am pleased to address you on the occasion of the worldwide celebration of Africa Day – the same Africa that has always been and will always be important for the development of all humanity. Now, every true leader sees that the forces on the planet are changing, and in this century, it will be impossible to remain truly strong without cooperation and mutual respect with the nations of Africa. And this is not a purely political issue. This is a fact of our life on this planet: Africa, its people, its capabilities, its stability will determine what our entire world is capable of. I sincerely wish for Africa to be a continent of peace, of respect for every community and of invariably sovereign nations whose voices are always counted when global affairs are decided. Every external power should get used to the fact that your continent is home to its nations, and it is up to you to choose who deserves your favor. This is the way it should be.
Despite the brutal full-scale Russian invasion of our land, Ukraine is doing its best to confirm with practical actions our philosophy of attitude towards other nations – our respect for every nation. Firstly, we have broken the naval blockade of our ports initiated by the Russian Navy and resumed maritime exports and humanitarian supplies of our food. Grain from Ukraine is already contributing to food security in countries like Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. And we are expanding our food supplies. We are ready to help more. We are ready to build food hubs in Africa and invest our experience in the technological development of your countries. In particular, we have recently discussed this with the leader of Mozambique. I hope for cooperation with other countries as well. Secondly, Ukraine has always treated with respect the thousands and thousands of students from African countries who have been coming to study at our universities for decades. It is clear that now, during the war on our land, educational exchange is limited. However, it will definitely be resumed, and based on current needs. Every nation deserves a strong enough educational sovereignty to have its own foundation for social development in its country, so that young people can stay at home and build a life beneficial to their homeland. We are ready to help with that. And the third point is the fundamental principle of modern life – the energy sector. Because of the attacks of Russian missiles, because of the attacks of Russian drones on our power plants, we need to completely rebuild the Ukrainian energy sector to make it more decentralized, more modern, more secure, and we will definitely do that. Ukraine will be rebuilt. Such reconstruction is an opportunity for investment in our country, which will also help our partner countries, and at the same time will allow us to export the experience gained in the field of security and modern energy. We will be willing to share this experience to strengthen the energy independence of our African friends. Ukraine's destiny is to be a donor of security, and this can strengthen our partners, including those in Africa.
Dear friends!
We have recently carried out the largest simultaneous wave of embassy openings in Africa. We have opened ten new embassies on the continent. And we will continue to expand our presence and, I hope, our cooperation. We always seek mutual benefit and never use our capabilities to the detriment of other nations, their sovereignty, or their welfare. And this is exactly what is needed in our world – in a world where only formulas of peace, formulas of respect and formulas of development should ever work. Let these be our common formulas! We are waiting for the African leaders at the Peace Summit, and we wish you all peace! Once again, I congratulate you on your day – Africa Day!
Thank you for your attention!
Glory to Ukraine!