Being a Russian diplomat must be tiresome. One day you claim there will be no war and the next – you say the war was inevitable. One day you call the war warnings “typical Western warmongering” and the next – you switch to the usual “we got provoked” mantra. One day you trample on the UN Charter and the next – you preach it. The imperial hypocrisy list is long.
Yet somehow, they always find a way to make it longer. Like Russian diplomats lately blaming Ukraine for undermining global food supply in Black Sea. According to them, starting an insane, unnecessary war of choice in the middle of the 21st century did not destroy the Black Sea route, but Ukraine’s resistance did.
In Russian literature there is a classic fable about a wolf looking for excuses to eat his prey but not feel bad about it. It starts with the words “Always are the weak at fault before the strong…”. This would make a nice slogan for Russia’s foreign policy of today.
A case in point: according to Russia, the world will be left without a huge chunk of its grain, barley and sunflower oil, not because Russia attacked Ukraine but because Ukraine is defending itself against the aggression.
It is up to readers whether to believe it or not – just like whether to care for people dying in a country so far away. Yet no matter how far Ukraine is, people in Africa should root for this imperialist war to end.
Here’s why: a crisis is brewing on the horizon. The global grain supply will probably be going down because of Russia’s war on Ukraine and due to a hot and dry year predicted by some meteorologists. Global fertilizer prices will, in turn, probably go up furthermore.
This is bad news for Africa. Hunger can strike back on millions of families on the continent. That is why even though ending wars is a noble thing at any time, now is the moment to wish for it more than ever – not only out of humanism, but also out of self-preservation instinct.
If Russia continues to be on its current war path, the world will be on a path to becoming an even darker, gloomier, and hungrier place.
On September 28th at the “Pathways to Peace” conference in Toronto, the South African government did a noble, sensible, and decent thing by condemning the war in its strongest language so far. In August, India’s prime minister Modi sent a similar message during the summit in Bishkek, in Vladimir Putin’s presence.
Global resistance against this war grows. Stopping it must become a global effort, even among Russia’s friends, – because the dangers it poses are global as well. Africa’s voice must be heard not only because its role becomes more prominent but also because Africa might be hit hard by a possible food crisis.
Russia’s fable ends with the words “Your guilt is that I want a bite to eat”, after which the wolf carries his prey into the woods. After Ukraine refused to be Russia’s prey, Russia’s hypocrisy went into overdrive, blaming the victim for the aggression. There is a simple way to solve the Black Sea route problem though: just end the damned war, end the strikes on civilians. Do what South Africa said in Toronto: stop using force to redraw borders, observe the UN Charter and return Ukrainian children to Ukraine.
To quote what India’s Prime Minister said to Putin’s face in August: “Every day spent in a war pushes humanity backwards.” If Russia really worries about global food security, it should do something about it instead of blaming the neighbour it’s trying to devour.
Dr Olexander Scherba is Ambassador of Ukraine to South Africa.