THE Democratic Alliance’s John Steenhuisen has arrived in Lviv, Ukraine on a fact-finding mission for the next six days, and will visit refugee camps, and government leaders.
Steenhuisen said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not a European problem, but a global problem.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not a European problem, it is a global problem. The knock-on effect of this war on our own fuel, maize, cooking oil and fertiliser prices will reach deep into the pockets of poor South Africans who can already not make ends meet,” said Steenhuisen.
“We dare not pretend that this is a war that has nothing to do with us. And we dare not pretend that remaining “neutral” in this situation is admirable. When we have clear and undeniable evidence of injustice, we owe it to the victims to pick a side and speak out.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Joe Biden spoke candidly about Russia in March, after South Africa’s abstention from a second United Nations vote against the country.
He said he wished for an end to the war in Ukraine, but that dialogue is the best option for both nations.
“I have today arrived in the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine from where I will embark on a six-day tour of various parts of Ukraine – mostly around the capital, Kiev – to ascertain for myself the situation in a country that has been under siege from the Russian army for over two months,” said Steenhuisen.
“Over the course of the next week I will be visiting refugee camps as well as meeting with various mayors, governors, business leaders, students and ordinary Ukrainian citizens to see, first-hand, the effects of the Russian invasion and the ongoing occupation of parts of Ukraine. In the era of fake news and propaganda, this is the only way to truly know what is happening.”
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