“Separatism Is A Dangerous Phenomenon Which Can Lead To The Disintegration Of State,” | The Reporter

 Maksym Subkh, Ukraine’s special envoy for Africa and the Middle East.

It has been more than seven months since the Ukraine-Russia war began, and Russia now controls some of Ukraine’s territory. The world is divided between supporters of the two warring factions, and Africa is no exception to the global power schism.

To clarify Ukraine’s position in the situation, the country recently appointed Maksym Subkh as its special envoy for Africa and the Middle East. During his one-day visit, the special envoy met with Demeke Mekonen, Ethiopia’s deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, as well as the African Union deputy Commissioner.

Sisay Sahlu of The Reporter spoke with the special envoy about some of the most pressing issues.

 The Reporter: What was the main purpose of your visit?

Maksym Subkh: Well, the purpose of my visit was to boost our bilateral relations with Ethiopia and to meet with the high officials of the Ethiopian government.

In this regard, I had a very successful meeting with Demeke Mekonen. Also, I was keen on visiting the African Union because Ukraine has enjoyed the status of an observer since 2016. Of course, seeing officials from the African Union was very important because Ukraine is now facing brutal aggression from the Russian federation, and I delivered a very clear message that Ukraine counts on the support of all African nations.

I was looking forward to delivering proper and objective information about what is going on in Ukraine because we are seeing a lot of disinformation spread across Africa by the Russian federation. So, it was quite important to deliver the real information about the real situation that is going on in Ukraine and the real reason for this war.

My visit was very successful, and I conducted all those meetings and had the opportunity to deliver some short remarks at the extraordinary summit of the AU dedicated to food security.

What was the main point of the discussions on your visit to Addis Ababa?

I confirmed to the foreign minister that we must seriously intend to strengthen our bilateral cooperation, and I informed him that Ukraine intends to appoint an ambassador to Ethiopia very soon. Our ambassador in Addis Ababa and most of the staff left to Ukraine following the invasion on Ukraine.

I also confirmed our commitment to the territorial integrity of Ethiopia as I addressed His Excellency to adhere to the principle of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and to support pro-Ukrainian resolutions in the UN, especially in the UN. We confirmed our unwavering support for the territorial integrity of both our countries.

Why does Ukraine need to appoint a special envoy to Africa?

I was appointed as a special envoy for the Middle East and Africa in July 2022 by President Volodymyr Zelensky, and this shows Ukraine’s desire to deepen a political dialogue with African nations, and among them, Ethiopia is the most influential and important player in Africa as a whole.

We definitely want to build friendly and mutually beneficial relationships built on the basis of win-win cooperation, and that is why I am appointed.

The second thing is that, as I said before, we need to counter the Russian propaganda which disseminates false information about what is happening in Ukraine. As a result, it is critical for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government of Ukraine to inform all African countries about the true reason for the war and aggression so that Russia does not deceive them.

My mission is also to ensure that African nations know that Ukraine is willing to stay as a very stable and trustworthy granter of food security, and that African  nations could rely heavily on Ukraine’s grain supplies.

So, by visiting the African continent, there is no doubt, and I can confirm to Ethiopia that Ukraine remains committed to all its obligations regarding grain supplies, particularly to countries facing hunger. I also pointed out to Demeke that Zelensky has recently signed a decree granting Ethiopia and Somalia up to 50,000 tons of wheat as humanitarian aid.

Hence, despite the grave situation in Ukraine, we decided to provide humanitarian aid just as a signal to show Ukraine will never give up and will always be there to help nations in need. It is not just words, but practical. The concrete steps towards helping African nations to counter the issue of hunger, which is looming very vividly in the Horn of Africa.

Have you discussed the northern Ethiopia war during your discussions with the deputy prime minister?

Of course, I expressed my concerns about the situation in Ethiopia, specifically the skirmishes that have occurred in some parts of the country.

I assured the minister that we support Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and safety, and we urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiations.

For various reasons, Western nations, China, and Russia are showing a greater interest in the horn. What is Ukraine’s interest in this region?

Traditionally and historically, African countries, especially in the Horn, have been our close partners. We have a very good economic and trade partnership.

Last year, Ethiopia was among the biggest trading partners in Africa.  We are striving to increase the trade balance and investment flow between Ethiopia and Ukraine.  In light of this, I was also told by Demeke that we need to advance and expand our legal framework and that we need to sign more trade and economic agreements of cooperation, avoidance of double taxation, and reciprocal promotion of investments.

So these three basic agreements are what we are looking to sign soon with Ethiopia and will let us increase our bilateral turnover.

I have also mentioned the issue of students to Demeke. Before the war, we had about 50 students from Ethiopia studying in Ukrainian universities, so I hope that those universities will resume their studies in Ukraine once the situation stabilizes, but for now, they can continue their classes in Ukrainian universities through distance learning.

Are there any plans by Zelensky to visit Africa soon?

It is difficult to confirm the possibility of a visit by the president to Africa. Zelensky is really looking forward to seeing African leaders in Ukraine because the more African leaders visit Ukraine, the more they will have the possibility to see with their own eyes the massive destruction caused by Russian aggression.

We invite all African leaders, including the President of Ethiopia, to visit Ukraine at any time. Once the situation stabilizes in Ukraine, he will definitely make the trip. He was also invited by the G20, but he needs to remain with his people.

Some months ago, when the war broke out, there was a rumor that both Russia and Ukraine were recruiting African fighters who could join their respective countries’ military. Is it true that Ukraine has been recruiting Africans?

The main support we count on from African nations is the support in the UN when votes are tallied. Regardless of a country’s size, every voice in support of Ukraine means a lot for Ukraine to counter Russian aggression, but African countries have been our reliable partners and we want them to remain so in the future.

We are not asking for a military intervention and we don’t want African states to join our war against Russia. We just want them to remain our friends and to make our relationship transparent and clear. By delivering the proper information, I am sure African countries will take a very clear stance on supporting Ukraine.

So, are you saying Ukraine hasn’t recruited Africans to fight along with Ukraine?

Well, at the beginning of the war, Ukraine’s military capacity was limited because we never waged any type of war against anyone. Since independence in 1991, Ukraine has remained a very peaceful country. But when the war broke out, the president of Ukraine decided to create a so-called international legion, which was open to all nationals who wanted to defend Ukraine.

It is very necessary to mention that Russia publicly announced and called on all foreign mercenaries to join its armed forces. So, it is very clear that there is a big difference between the two situations, since Ukraine is defending its land from external aggression while Russia is the aggressor, and by doing that, Russia was keen on bringing foreign nationals to fight against Ukraine.

The world has witnessed the most massive attack on Ukrainian cities, which have been heavily bombarded, including the capital Kyiv, in the last week. That means Russia has no way of getting to the battlefields and must instead frighten the Ukrainian people and force them to submit.

The Ukrainian people are devoted to repelling Russian aggression and saving the country from collapse. That is why we are capable of defending our country by ourselves. At the same time, Ukraine receives the same military aid from the European Union, and without that help, it wouldn’t be possible to counter the aggression.

What was the relationship between Ethiopia and Ukraine before the war and after the war?

Well, I am sure our bilateral relations are very strong. We maintain historical ties with Ethiopia and we have cooperated successfully in different spheres and areas, including technical and military. For many years, Ukraine has provided special courses for Ethiopian military men, but of course, when the war started, these activities were suspended because the Ukrainian army was busy countering Russian aggression. But we are open to all kinds of cooperation with Ethiopia based on the rules and provisions of international law.

How do you see the war in Ukraine affecting the African continent?

The impact is extremely concerning, as African countries face the threat of hunger as fertilizer and food commodity prices skyrocket, and this is due to Russian aggression rather than sanctions imposed on Russia. Russia says the shortage of wheat and grains in Africa is caused by the sanctions, but it is not true because the sanctions imposed by the international community on Russia didn’t target the food supply.

Russia wanted to stop its exports just to show that the sanctions were the reason for that. The real reason behind the shortage and scarcity of food supplies and wheat in Africa is the war and blockade of the sea ports.

There are three main Ukrainian seaports blocked by Russia, and they did not let any single ship depart from any Ukrainian port. It was only after July 22, 2022, that mediation by Turkey and the United Nations for the resumption of food supplies and grain supplies became possible.

We urged Russia to extend this deal and to let this deal work. After November 22, since the validity of the agreement is for 120 days, we heard some rumors and threats coming from Russia that they did not want to prolong it. That is why I am asking the Ethiopian deputy prime minister and officials in Ethiopia to put pressure on Russia and persuade it to prolong that agreement since the African continent depends on the suppliers of grain from Ukraine as well as from Russia.

If the deal is not in place, Russia will be using hunger as a tool to manipulate the African states and disseminate false information again, saying that Ukraine is the reason for the crisis.

How is the Ukrainian government planning to supply the grain needed by the African states?

As I have mentioned in the beginning, Zelensky signed a decree to provide aid to Ethiopia and Somalia, to be transported very soon via the WFP program with the help of European partners. The wheat will be delivered very soon, within the next few weeks. We hope that this shipment will help ease the hunger and will help support the people who are in dire need of this grain.

The entire contract signed before the war will be fulfilled by Ukraine and all the volumes of wheat which were considered to be delivered will be dispatched in due time. Even Ukraine is working by giving priority to the shipments heading to Africa not to let delays happen in this matter.

Ukraine was once a member of the Russian federation, but now Ukraine is a sovereign state and is fighting with its one-time motherland country. In Ethiopia, the federal government is fighting a war with its regional state. Is there any relationship between the war in Ukraine and the war in Ethiopia?

I see some similarities in that Ukraine has been fighting since 2014 in Russia-occupied Crimea. As Russia occupied parts of the Dombas region, there was a separatist moment in this region supported by the Russian federation. The Russian Federation has been stationing regular troops in some parts of eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Separatists existed, and we launched a counter-terrorist operation in 2014 just to liberate the occupied territories, which Russia continues to do, and Russia now occupies more than 21 percent of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula. So we oppose all forms of separatism whenever we stand for the integrity, safety, and independence of all United Nations member states.

We tried all means of dialogue. You know, we had a Minsk agreement that was never fulfilled by Russia because Russia was against the withdrawal of its troops from Dombas, and we are against any interference in the internal affairs of any nation. So we hope that the territorial integrity of Ethiopia will be restored very soon, because we believe that separatism is a dangerous phenomenon which can lead to the disintegration of the state.

How do you see the influence of western nations escalating the war in Ukraine? I’ve heard that the conflict isn’t just between Russia and Ukraine, but also between the West and Russia.

Many people think it is a war between the West and Russia, but it is because Ukraine never applied for NATO membership before the Russian aggression. Before 2014, Ukraine wanted to remain neutral, and it is even mentioned in the constitution of the country that it is looking not to be a part of any military or political bloc, but when Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, and a new president was elected, Russia didn’t want to accept it.

Ukraine has had six presidents since its independence, while Russia has had only two. So we are purely a democratic state and we believe in democratic values. The reason why Ukraine applied for NATO membership was to seek help and to defend its territorial integrity. Alone, we are not able to counter Russia.

We are committed to remaining a country and defending our country from any foreign interference, so once again I would like to underline that we never wanted to be a part of NATO before Russia occupied Crimea and Dombas. Also, after the new war began in 2014, we told Russia that we were ready to discuss Ukraine’s nuptial status; we delivered this message from the start of this war, and we asked Russia to withdraw its troops and stop bombing Ukrainian cities; if that happens, we can sit around the table and discuss this specific issue.

But later on, Russia occupied most of the territories and two new territories in Ukraine, which now totals four territories under occupation. Zelensky explained to Putin that if Russia occupies new territories and more regions in Ukraine, it will make the dialogue impossible and break all the agreements reached before. But Russia continued to occupy more territories.

What is the situation with the recent Crimea bridge bombing?

Concerning the bridge, we don’t have information on who was behind that operation. However, the bridge was built illegally because it connects occupied Crimea to Ukraine, as Crimea is Ukrainian territory. We don’t recognize the right of Russia to be present in the Crimean peninsula.

There are some rumors that the operation to blow up the bridge was organized by Russian security forces themselves to use as a pretext for further escalation and occupation.

What is the fate of the territories that held a referendum?

Well, there is no country in the world recognized by the so-called fake referendum which was organized by Russia on the newly occupied territories. so Ukraine remains united in its internationally recognized border.

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