Sympathy for Ukraine more elusive in Africa where Russian ties run deep

“Why should Africa care about the events in Ukraine?” a journalist from Lesotho asked Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The question and the media briefing itself — organised by the US to give African and Middle Eastern journalists an opportunity to hear the Ukrainian point of view directly — reflected how Kyiv is struggling to catch up with Russian propaganda in Africa and the wider developing world.

Moscow’s deep diplomatic reach on the African continent, where its embassies far outnumber those of Ukraine and it has long ties forged since Soviet support for anti-colonial movements during the cold war, has helped it to dominate perceptions of the conflict.

It also wields hard power through military co-operation agreements with several countries, and can benefit from instinctive sympathy due to anti-western feeling among ordinary people.

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To answer the question, Kuleba reached into history to find common ground and to take aim at Russia’s self-presentation as the global champion of the underdog.

“For 300 years, since middle-17th century, Ukraine was like a colony for Russia,” he replied. “They were suppressing our identity, our language. They insisted on the supremacy of Russian language, Russian culture ... Russian civilisational supremacy,” he said.

“The official Russian narrative was even that Ukrainians are not able to govern themselves.”

If Russia’s invasion succeeds it would be a declaration that ‘might is right’, undermining international law and leaving any country exposed to coercion by a larger neighbour, Kuleba argued. And the longer the war lasts, he added, the more difficult it will be for Ukraine to resume exporting something the world badly needs: food.

A farming behemoth, Ukraine produced half of the world’s sunflower oil before the war and was a major global grain supplier, accounting for 80 per cent of Lebanon’s wheat imports, almost half of Libya’s and Tunisia’s, and a quarter of those of Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Egypt.

The world’s poorest countries are now facing the brunt of a drastic disruption to food supplies, as Russian forces have blockaded 20 million tonnes of grain in Odesa port, stolen grain, deliberately destroyed agricultural equipment and stores, and sowed the fields with mines, according to Kyiv.

A deal to escort the Odesa grain supplies out through the Black Sea remains elusive and export routes over land are limited and more costly, causing prices to spiral and fuelling fears of a multi-year food crisis as Ukraine’s farmers are denied the payments needed to sow crops for next year.

Moscow of course has an alternative version of events, one that is amplified through the substantial overseas state media operations of both Russia and China.

“Moscow said the sanctions are the reason for the world food crisis,” a reporter from the United Arab Emirates asked Kuleba. “What do you have to say about that?”

“The shortage of Ukrainian wheat is so dire that Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular, are paralysed in terms of their food requirements,” said another, from the DRC. “Isn’t this shortage another means for Ukraine to covertly seek other countries’ support?”

“Trust me,” Kuleba implored the journalists. “We want to export our agricultural products to you as badly as you want to receive them.” Apart from anything else, Ukraine’s economy relies on the revenue, he explained, and this is sorely needed as the country is economically crushed by the invasion.

In meetings with African and Middle Eastern counterparts, European officials have been struck by the extent of the ambivalence towards the conflict, in contrast to the wave of sympathy for Ukraine that has swept Europe.

African Union chair Macky Sall is viewed as have strayed very close to Russia’s line when he recently called for sanctions to be lifted so food exports can resume — despite there being no sanctions on food — after a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Sentiments like that of India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who recently said “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems”, have dampened efforts at the United Nations to seek further resolutions condemning Russia due to concerns over how developing countries would vote.

“Russian officials keep lying that it is Ukraine, United States, European Union or anyone else — anyone but Russia to blame for food shortages, rising prices, and the risk of hunger,” Kuleba told the journalists. “I sincerely call on all of our African friends to reject these lies.”

“There is only one reason,” why Ukrainian food exports cannot reach their eager recipients, he insisted. “It’s the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, as a result of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.”