Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga is entering the final stages of a series of diplomatic visits to Africa. The diplomatic itinerary covers a number of countries, including Oman, Angola, Egypt and South Africa, and aims to seek these countries' understanding and support for Ukraine's war with Russia. Sybiga's last stop is South Africa, and his trip also marks a new height in Ukraine's anti-Russian diplomatic efforts around the world, especially in Africa, an increasingly important international arena.

Pushing Zelensky's visit to Africa: Potential cooperation between Ukraine and South Africa

According to the latest reports, Sybiga will discuss with local officials in South Africa plans for a possible state visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to South Africa. This proposal reflects Ukraine's desire to strengthen diplomatic relations with African countries, especially in the context of the conflict with Russia, to seek more international support. Ukraine hopes to deepen economic and diplomatic cooperation with South Africa through this high-level visit and further promote Ukraine's peace plan to end the war.

As one of the BRICS countries, South Africa has always maintained a balanced foreign policy. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently visited Russia, emphasizing friendly relations with Moscow. This makes Ukraine's diplomatic mission more challenging in South Africa. South Africa has always defended a non-aligned policy and, despite its friendship with Russia, has also tried to maintain dialogue with Ukraine. Therefore, Sibega's visit is seen as an important step for Ukraine to break the diplomatic deadlock and strengthen communication channels with South Africa.

Visit to Egypt: Call for neutrality and peace

Before arriving in South Africa, Sibega also visited Egypt and met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty. The talks focused on Ukraine's proposal to end the war. However, Egypt reiterated its neutral position in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, emphasizing the importance of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Egyptian minister also mentioned that the war has had a serious negative impact on third world countries, especially food security.

Egypt has always been the world's largest wheat importer, and Ukraine and Russia are both important wheat suppliers to Egypt. Although Egypt has close contacts with Ukraine in wheat trade, Russia remains its largest source of supply. Therefore, Egypt has remained neutral diplomatically in order to maintain a balance between the two countries in terms of food supply. This neutral attitude has made Ukraine face certain challenges in seeking Egyptian support.

Challenges and opportunities in the African diplomatic battlefield

Ukraine's diplomatic activities in Africa are not limited to South Africa and Egypt. Before visiting South Africa, Sibega also visited Angola and Oman to continue to promote Ukraine's diplomatic agenda. Ukraine hopes to win the support of more African countries through this diplomatic tour, especially as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues to escalate.

African countries such as South Africa are becoming increasingly important on the international stage, especially in the context of deepening cooperation among countries in the global South. Therefore, Ukraine hopes to use the influence of these countries to promote international support for its peace plan. Although South Africa seeks a balanced position in diplomacy to maintain dialogue with both Russia and Ukraine, Ukraine's diplomatic efforts may still gain more sympathy and support in Africa.

Last year, South Africa jointly launched an African peace mission with Senegal, Zambia and Comoros to try to mediate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This move shows that South Africa is not completely on one side, but hopes to promote peace dialogue through multilateral diplomatic channels. This provides some space for Ukraine's diplomatic actions in South Africa.

Ukraine's global diplomatic layout

Sibiga's African trip highlights Ukraine's diplomatic efforts around the world, especially in the context of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukraine is trying to seek more international support through diplomatic means. The African continent, especially regional powers such as South Africa, has become a key component of Ukraine's diplomatic layout due to its important position in international affairs.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister's visit is not only to seek support from the international community, but also to build a broader diplomatic alliance. As the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict gradually expands to global supply chains and food security, Ukraine is working to build a more globally influential diplomatic network through cooperation with African countries.

Conclusion: Potential impact of the African trip

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga's African trip, especially his visit to South Africa, marks a further expansion of Ukraine's diplomatic front. Ukraine is seeking to establish closer cooperation with African countries, especially to gain more support for the plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian war. Although African countries, such as South Africa and Egypt, tend to remain diplomatically neutral, Ukraine's diplomatic efforts are gradually influencing these countries' diplomatic positions and policy choices.

In the future, whether Ukraine can expand international support through such diplomatic actions will have a profound impact on its global status. The trip to Africa is not only part of Ukraine's global diplomacy, but also an important attempt to expand its influence in international affairs and seek peaceful solutions.