Lavrov failed to persuade the authorities of Burundi to side with Russia

Burundi's authorities have decided to maintain a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the country.

Source. This was reported by The East African.

"Burundi has decided to be on the side of solutions, not on the side of problems... Burundi, like any other country, is sovereign, and we choose partners in favor of our people," said Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro after a closed meeting with Lavrov.

The Burundian foreign minister called on Moscow and Kyiv to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible.

"All countries of the world are our friends," Shingiro said.

Lavrov became the first high-ranking Russian official to visit Burundi in 60 years. After Russia was cut off from the West by sanctions, Moscow has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in other regions, especially in Africa and Asia, The East African notes.

Earlier on Monday, Lavrov visited Kenya. His visit followed a trip to Africa by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, where he presented a ten-point plan for a peaceful settlement.

Since the beginning of the war, Lavrov has already traveled to Africa four times. He has visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola, Eritrea, Mali, Mauritania, Sudan, and other countries on the continent. During his tours, the Russian diplomat offered African states Russian oil products and arms that had been embargoed, and criticized the West for its "colonial policy."

African countries seek to remain neutral in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Many of them refuse to condemn the Russian invasion. However, some states on the continent are supporting Ukraine. Morocco has agreed to supply Kyiv with spare parts for T-72 tanks, the French publication Africa Intelligence reported.

Background. Earlier it became known that Africa will send a "peacekeeping mission" to the presidents of Ukraine and Russia to discuss the end of the war.