Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Kenyan leaders on Monday on a surprise visit to Nairobi, as Moscow and Kyiv both seek to bolster support from African nations over the war in Ukraine. Lavrov’s trip to Kenya comes on the heels of a trip to the continent last week by his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. Foreign Minister Kuleba visited Ethiopia, Morocco and Rwanda, but also met with current African Union (AU) Chair and Comoros President Azali Assoumani as well as AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat. The Ukrainian official called for certain African nations to end their neutral stances over the 15-month-old war in Ukraine and announced a push by Kyiv to intensify its ties with the continent. He also announced in a statement the following day that Ukraine planned to open more embassies in Africa and stage a summit with the continent’s leaders.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA