PRESS RELEASE : You can’t be neutral about the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with representatives of the African media

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 4 August 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that the whole world, in particular the countries of the African continent, cannot take a neutral position regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine, as Russian aggression will have consequences for them as well. The Head of State said this during an online meeting with African journalists, including media representatives from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana.

“I don’t think there should be neutrality in war. This is the wrong attitude. There can be no neutrality between life and death. When you are neutral in the war, you immediately turn from even a large state into a small one. No one sees you, the world does not see you, and therefore you do not influence the processes in the world. And when you have problems, you have to remember that the world can also be neutral. And it’s not about business – it’s about people’s lives. I believe that the position of neutrality is not modern,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the President, the world should know the truth about the fact that a colonial war started by Russia is currently ongoing on Ukrainian territory. He noted that racism and Nazism once asserted the alleged superiority of one race or nation over others, and now a new term has appeared – “rashism”, which describes the so-called “Russian world”, in which Russia does not recognize the right to existence of the multi-million Ukrainian people, its language and culture.

According to the Head of State, if one or another country does not have enough economic or political weight to influence the Russian Federation and force it to stop the war, then at least at the level of diplomacy, it is necessary to condemn death, autocracy, racism, Nazism and “rashism”, to condemn aggression.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that the world should have paid more attention to what is happening in some countries of the African continent, which have also experienced wars and tragedies.

“There is no war, which is far away. This is the injustice of the security structure of the whole world, which needs to be changed. International institutions need to be changed to make them work. Today, when we talk about security guarantees for Ukraine, we act as a living yet tragic example that can later be extended to other continents and other states,” he said.

The President also noted that Ukraine does not divide African countries into those that profess neutrality in relation to Russian aggression and those that support our state. Our state is ready to provide grain to all African countries that need it, because hunger cannot be treated neutrally.

“It’s about people dying. I know what we should do to help the countries of the African continent, just as African countries should unite and support Ukraine, because the truth is on our side,” he said.

The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine will fight to the end, and when this war will end depends on the unification of the world around our country and against Russian aggression.