Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Mali scandal

"We never acted against the regular army of any country except Russia. We are not seeking any conflicts with any African nation. Our job is to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression," Kuleba told reporters in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, on Thursday.

Kuleba described Mali's decision to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine without providing any evidence to support this decision as hasty and unjustified.

"The fact that the government of Niger followed suit of Mali brings us to the conclusion that this is a coordinated effort to isolate Ukraine," he noted.

Mauritius' Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin stated that his country hopes for a swift and peaceful resolution of the conflict.

"Our stance is founded on the respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, big and small, the inviolability of frontiers and the need to refrain from the threat or the use of force against any state in accordance with the United Nations Charter," he said.

Attack on a Wagner convoy in Mali and Ukraine's involvement

On July 25-26, Tuareg rebels from the CSP-PSD movement defeated a column of Wagner Group militants in Mali. About 20 Wagner mercenaries were killed or wounded, and those who survived the battle were taken prisoner. Meanwhile, the Malian army reported that two of its soldiers were killed and ten were wounded in the clashes.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, stated during a telethon that the monopoly on bandit and pirate activities by Russian private military companies worldwide is coming to an end.

He also mentioned that the rebels received the necessary information, not only information that enabled them to carry out a successful military operation against Russian war criminals, as reported by Suspilne.

Break in diplomatic relations with Ukraine

Following Yusov's statements, the Malian government concluded that Ukraine was involved in the attack. Consequently, the Malian military junta decided to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

The British newspaper The Times reported that Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, had been planning an operation against Wagner Group militants in Mali since 2023, assisting Tuareg rebels.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Mali's decision to cut diplomatic ties as short-sighted and hasty.

Last Tuesday, Niger also announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of supporting terrorist groups.