President William Ruto held a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday evening, on the sidelines of the peace summit in Switzerland.
President Ruto joined world leaders in condemning Russia for invading Ukraine. The President termed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as unlawful, unjust, and against international law.
He emphasized the urgent need for all parties involved in the conflict to commit to a path of peace, highlighting the adverse global consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“It is time for parties to the conflict to demonstrate good faith, abandon unyielding attitudes, and soften their positions for lasting peace to be realized,”
Ruto said
Desire for Peace
The summit has brought together leaders from more than 90 countries and international institutions. However, Russia was not invited to the summit, while China kept out of the meeting.
Photo: PCS
President Zelensky stated that Ukraine wants to “give diplomacy a chance” and demonstrate that joint efforts can stop wars.
During the meeting, President Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s desire for peace and expressed his openness to involve all parties in the search for a just and sustainable resolution.
President Ruto reiterated Kenya’s firm stance on the principles of equality of nations, the inviolability of territorial borders, the peaceful settlement of conflicts, and adherence to the rule of law.
Conflicts in Africa
He noted that the war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact across the world, including Africa, leading to increased prices of food and fertilizers, which have significantly affected Kenya.
“Africa’s many long-running and long-forgotten wars continue unabated, wreaking unimaginable devastation on a daily basis,”
President Ruto told the summit.
He highlighted nearly 16 different conflicts raging across the continent, from the Western Sahel to the Horn of Africa, and from the Lake Chad basin to the Great Lakes region.
“In the Sudan, a senseless war continues to cause death, destruction, and hopelessness among people.”
President Ruto pointed out that these conflicts have led to acute food insecurity, displacement, and the death of millions of people.
Ukraine Financing Deal
The Swiss summit follows the agreement by G7 leaders to use interest from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine defend itself against the ongoing invasion.
Approximately $325 billion in assets were frozen by G7 countries and the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The interest generated from these assets, amounting to about $3 billion annually, will be used to pay off the interest on a $50 billion loan for Ukraine, taken out on the international markets.
In the immediate term, Ukraine has emphasized its urgent need for more weapons, primarily air defense systems to counter Russia’s missile and drone attacks, as well as F-16 fighter jets, which it hopes to start receiving as early as this summer.