Ukraine's Zelensky Outlines Peace Initiatives to Uganda's Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday held a phone conversation with with the Ukrainian leader Mr Volodymyr Zelensky in which the Ukrainian President outlined initiatives aimed at peace amid the war with Russia.

According to a tweet by Mr Zelensky, the phone call which was the first of its kind also had the two presidents discuss bilateral relations.

“I am glad to have the first conversation in the history of bilateral relations with the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. I spoke about Ukrainian peace initiatives at the UN. We also talked about the potential for developing bilateral relations,” Zelensky said after the phone call with President Museveni who is highly regarded world wide for his leadership experience and influence as an African leader.

“I have outlined the Ukrainian peace initiatives at the UN. We also discussed the potential for developing bilateral relations,” Mr Zelensky added.

Uganda has continued to state its neutrality regarding the Ukraine- Russia war, with president Museveni urging that “we are friends with everybody”.

During a visit from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Entebbe last year, President Museveni said that Uganda would not be persuaded to be enemies with Russia.

“If Russia makes mistakes, we tell them. When they have not made mistakes, we can’t be against them,” he added, hailing Russia for backing anti-colonial African movements.

Uganda was one of 17 African nations to abstain during a vote in March on a UN resolution that overwhelmingly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the same year, while speaking Speaking on zoom to the former President of Russia and current Chairman of the United Russian Party, Dmitry Medvedev, President Museveni said the only viable option out of the war was for the two parties to sit down and talk.

“We think the best way is to negotiate. This is the best way and everybody who wants peace in the world should support this so that this fighting stops and you get balanced peace that ensures safety for all,” he said.

Museveni said Uganda abstained and took a neutral position when the Russian, Ukraine issue came up for discussion at the United Nations. “We said no, let us take a balanced position because we know all issues involved, there is nothing new, there is nothing we don’t know,” he said.