Joint Op-Ed   What Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine means to Seychelles   |07 September 2022

August 24 marked the commemoration of Ukraine's 31st year as a sovereign, democratic country.  It also marked the commemoration of six months of a brutal, unprovoked war of aggression waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin against a free and independent Ukraine.

Ukraine was invaded by a regime that felt it could disregard international norms.  As Putin’s illegal war enters its seventh month, it has killed or wounded thousands of civilians, forced 13 million Ukrainian citizens to flee their homes, pounded historical cities into rubble, and caused food shortages and skyrocketing food prices around the world.  What President Putin is doing to the Ukrainian people is unacceptable.  His threat to mobilise nuclear weapons and his gamble around the civil nuclear power plant of Zaporijia is equally unacceptable.  Just one individual bears the blame for this destruction.

Events unfolding in Ukraine are not only an aggression against the Ukrainian people, they are a flagrant violation of the principles at the core of the international system and the United Nations Charter.  Every member state of the United Nations – including Russia – pledged to uphold the principle that a country does not have the right to change the borders of another country through the use of force, nor do they have the right to seize the territory of another country.  What is at stake is not just the fate of the Ukrainian people or the stability of the European continent.  We are being confronted by a brutal, unjustified, and cynical attempt to undermine respect for the rule of law and the fundamental principles that form the international order.

When a United Nations member state and a permanent UN Security Council member violates those principles, the consequences are felt throughout the world.

We see those global consequences here in Africa, Seychelles, and the Indian Ocean region. Climate change and the recent pandemic have already created economic challenges for Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Putin’s war of choice has exacerbated the global food crisis as well as the broader economic and social crisis that many parts of the world are facing.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has created a surge in food prices in a country where the cost of living was already very high. Russian embargos on Ukrainian products have created supply chain disruptions, especially on world exports of vital edible oils like sunflower oil.  Seychelles has not been insulated from global petroleum price increases, either.  The price of gasoline has risen 20 percent since Russia’s unprovoked invasion, while gas oil prices have increased by 16 percent.

The international community is working diligently to alleviate the consequences of the crisis.  Ukraine helps feed the world, producing 18 percent of the world’s sunflower oil. To avoid a world food crisis and arrest rising consumer prices, the UN, with the support of Turkey, has managed to establish a safe corridor to allow Ukrainian grain to be exported from Ukrainian harbours. The international community also mobilised significant levels of humanitarian aid, including for Africa, with a first UN boat reaching Djibouti a few days ago.

Above all, the crisis has shown all of us the need to reduce our dependencies, in Europe on energy, and in Africa – including here in Seychelles the need for greater investment in agriculture.  In response, the United States has donated nearly $5.5 billion in food security and humanitarian assistance and $500 million for fertiliser to the countries most affected.  The opening of new ‘Solidarity lanes’ via EU territory has allowed the export of more than 10 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to world markets.  In addition, the EU is mobilising over €7.7 billion until 2024 for investment in food security and sustainable food systems for more than 70 partner countries mainly in Sub Saharan Africa. This amount will be increased further by EU member states, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in a Team Europe approach.

We are proud to have stood with Seychelles and the rest of the international community in March and April, when the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution to demand that the Kremlin immediately cease its military aggression against Ukraine and suspend the Russian Federation’s membership in the Human Rights Council.

The Kremlin claims that Western support for Ukraine and the sanctions regime against Russia have undermined the global economy.  This is far from the truth. The culprit for undermining the global economy is Russia.

The conflict in Ukraine, which is only motivated by Putin’s imperialistic views, is the greatest near-term threat to international peace and security.

We have been and remain clear about our aims to end the conflict. The security of the Ukrainian people is our paramount objective.The Kremlin must stop the war, withdraw all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, and restore peace.  The end of the war must be determined by a negotiated settlement that respects the wishes of the Ukrainian people and its democratically elected leadership.

The United States and the European Union continue to stand #UnitedwithUkraine.

Chargé d'Affaires Satrajit Sardar, U.S. embassy to Mauritius and Seychelles

Ambassador Vincent Degert, European Union to Mauritius and Seychelles

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper.