President William Ruto has joined world leaders in condemning Russia for invading Ukraine.
The President termed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as unlawful, unjust and against international law.
He said it is time for parties to the conflict to demonstrate good faith, abandon unyielding attitudes and soften their positions for lasting peace to be realised.
The President said the globe must embark on a collective effort to resolve the war.
He spoke on Saturday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, when he joined other world leaders for the inaugural Summit on Peace in Ukraine.
President Ruto regretted that the war has had a devastating impact across the world, including Africa.
But even as the world focuses on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, President Ruto urged the globe to pay attention to the forgotten wars tearing apart Africa’s social fabric.
“Africa’s many long-running and long-forgotten wars continue unabated, wreaking unimaginable devastation on a daily basis,” he told the Summit.
He argued that nearly 16 different conflicts are raging “on our continent”, from the Western Sahel to the Horn of Africa in the East, and from the Lake Chad basin to the Great Lakes region.
“In the Sudan, a senseless war continues to cause death, destruction and hopelessness among people.”
President Ruto noted that the conflicts are so adverse that countries are facing acute food insecurity.
He added that the instabilities had led to displacement and death of millions of people.
Ruto also faulted the European Union (EU) and the United States over the seizure of Russian assets due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
He remarked that what most of the EU member states were doing was against the spirit of the United Nations.
“Just as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unlawful and unacceptable, the unilateral appropriation of Russian assets is equally unlawful, unacceptable and a derogation from the UN Charter, especially for those of us who believe in freedom, justice, democracy,” said Ruto.
President Ruto added that all notions of vengeance must be dispelled, and unilateral actions, which contradict the essence of multilateralism and collective action, must also be avoided by all means.
According to the US Treasury, the country has frozen assets held by Russian citizens with an estimated worth of USD58 billion which included homes, yachts and private aircraft.
On the other hand, the value of Russian assets frozen in the EU is estimated to be worth 211 billion euros.
Peoplesmind
