The Ukrainian side rejects the accusations of the Transitional Government of Mali of alleged "Ukraine's support of international terrorism" and reserves the right to take all necessary political and diplomatic measures in response to unfriendly actions.
Points of attention
- The Republic of Mali broke diplomatic relations with Ukraine over accusations of Ukraine's support of international terrorism, stemming from intelligence provided by the Ukrainian GUR to Malian rebels.
- Ukraine denies the accusations and emphasizes adherence to international law and sovereignty principles while highlighting Russian aggression as the main destabilizing factor in the region.
- The decision to cut ties was deemed short-sighted by Ukraine, as Mali failed to provide substantial evidence of Ukraine's involvement and ignored the violent actions of Russian-affiliated mercenaries in the region.
- The conflict highlights the complex geopolitical dynamics in the region, with accusations of external support for armed groups and the implications of severing diplomatic relations on future interactions.
- Both countries reserved the right to take political and diplomatic measures in response to the breakdown of relations, underscoring the importance of thorough assessments and evidence-based decisions in international affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the severance of diplomatic relations with Mali
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine made a corresponding statement.
The decision of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine is short-sighted and hasty... Ukraine unconditionally adheres to the norms of international law, the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and resolutely rejects the accusations of the Transitional Government of Mali of alleged "Ukraine's support of international terrorism".
The agency emphasized that in the 20th century Ukraine, as one of the founders of the United Nations, actively supported the right of African peoples to independence and decolonization, including the Republic of Mali.
Instead, the Russian Federation, continuing its unprovoked full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, destroys the architecture of international security, violates the Goals and Principles of the UN Charter, which in particular guarantee the right of African countries to a free future.
It is regrettable that the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine without conducting a thorough study of the facts and circumstances of the incident in the north of Mali, and without providing any evidence of Ukraine's involvement in the said event. At the same time, it is ignored that military structures under the control of the Kremlin, in particular "Wagner", use terrorist methods and are directly involved in numerous war crimes, killings of civilians and cruel treatment of prisoners of war both in Ukraine and in African countries.
In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraine reserves the right to take all necessary political and diplomatic measures in response to the unfriendly actions of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali.
Mali broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine
The government of Mali has decided to break off diplomatic relations with Ukraine allegedly because of the role of the GUR in the destruction of Wagner mercenaries.
This is reported by CNN with reference to a televised address by the spokesman of the government of Mali, Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga.
Mali severed diplomatic relations with Ukraine after Kyiv provided Malian rebels with intelligence used to ambush members of the Wagner group in July.
It is noted that the decision to sever diplomatic relations takes effect immediately.
The Transitional Government of the Republic of Mali condemns the hostility of the Ukrainian authorities, which ignores the fact that Mali has always called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
CNN reminds that the representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense Andriy Yusov previously confirmed the provision of "necessary information that made it possible to conduct a successful military operation against Russian war criminals" to the Malian rebels.
A coalition of anti-government groups in northern Mali killed 84 mercenaries from the Russian PMK "Wagner" and 47 Malian servicemen during three days of fierce fighting at the end of July. These are the biggest losses of the criminal Russian PMK "Wagner" for all the years of its presence in Africa.
