President William Ruto has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy to embrace dialogue and end the ongoing war between the two countries.
Speaking during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Switzerland, President Ruto said the peace summit should not only bring allies together but also enemies.
“A commitment to peace makes certain fundamental concessions inevitable. This Summit should not be a meeting of just friends; this should be a meeting of both friend and foe,” he said.
Ruto explained that Ukraine peace talks will bear little fruits if Russia, who is part of the war, is not involved.
“To proceed in the positive direction initiated by this summit, we must collectively move towards ending the war through inclusive dialogue. The fact is, no meaningful headway can be made without bringing Russia to the table, and this is a gap that must be addressed with urgency,” Ruto added.
Russia’s Participation & Effect of the War to Kenyans
The head of state noted that the peace summit is a historic step in the right direction in ending the war, further hailing the summit for convening to talk about peace and not war in Ukraine.
“Therefore, we must be clear and determined to make it only about peace in Ukraine,” he said.
In addition, President Ruto said the Russia-Ukraine war is affecting the supply of fertilizer to Kenyan farmers.
He explained that the price of fertilizer has increased as the product takes more time to reach the country’s ports due to changes in shipping routes.
“Across the world, people and nations are enduring the negative consequences of disrupted supply chains,” Ruto said.
“Today, a farmer in rural Kenya is acutely aware that there is war in Ukraine because the cost of fertilizer has gone up and it now takes 45 days longer for consignments to reach our port because shipping routes have changed.”
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Ruto on the Cause of Wars
Ruto revealed that millions of people have lost their lives while 40.4 million Africans have been forcibly displaced in different wars across the globe.
He attributed this to a dysfunctional global peace architecture, and a failure of leadership.
“There is a Chinese saying that a good general wins the war before it begins. The outbreak of these wars is, without doubt, a massive indictment on the current peace infrastructure, especially the United Nations Security Council, which is trapped in chronic gridlock,” he said.
He emphasized that Kenya has been clear that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is unlawful, unjust and a violation of the fundamental principles of international laws.
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Middle East & Africa Wars
Ruto reiterated that the war in the Middle East and Africa’s many long-running and long-forgotten wars are equally devastating.
He revealed that Africa is currently experiencing nearly 16 different conflicts from the Western Sahel to the Horn of Africa in the East, and from the Lake Chad basin to the Great Lakes region.
He termed the war in the Sudan as senseless even though it continues to cause death, destruction and hopelessness among people.
“Regionally, four of the top 10 countries facing acute food insecurity as a result of the conflict are in the Horn of Africa. In West Africa, the number of schools closed reached over 13,250, depriving more than 2.5 million children of an education,” he said.
Ruto said nearly 7,800 primary schools, attended by 1.4 million children, were closed in the Sahel region as of June 2023.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has claimed 500,000 lives and left 7.1 million people displaced.
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