Ukraine’s Ambassador to Kenya, Andrii Pravednyk, says his country is steadily restoring diplomatic and trade relations with Kenya, which have existed since 1993, despite disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking to Radio Generation, Pravednyk highlighted agriculture, education, and trade as key areas of collaboration, while emphasizing Ukraine’s commitment to expanding opportunities for Kenyan students.

“We have our embassy here in your beautiful country for more than 20 years. Definitely, we have good relations in different spheres, but agriculture, one of the main of them,” Pravednyk said on Tuesday.

He noted that before the war, Ukraine exported large volumes of wheat and maize to Kenya.

“With the start of the war and the problem with delivering Ukrainian agricultural products elsewhere, not only to Kenya, it was a pause in our export to Kenya. But then, with creating a new logistical route from Ukraine to outside world, we managed to regain our export volumes,” he explained.

In March 2023, Ukraine delivered 25,000 tons of wheat to Kenya under the Grain from Ukraine program initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On trade recovery, Pravednyk said Ukraine has not yet reached pre-war levels.

“In 2021 the trade turnover between Ukraine and Kenya amounted to $221 million, which was a record high. Now, for 2024 we reach the volume of bilateral trade to amount of $145 million, which is still $70 million less than before the invasion,” he said.

He added that data for 2025 will be published in early 2026, as it takes time to reconcile transactions from the full year.

Education remains another key area of cooperation. Pravednyk noted that hundreds of Kenyan students studied in Ukraine before the invasion, but most had to leave.

“Some of them return to Ukraine, especially to areas which are more or less relatively safe, and they continue their studies. We hope that, when the security situation would allow, many Kenyan students would come back, as well as many new potential students will apply to Ukrainian universities,” he said.

Ukraine is negotiating a bilateral education agreement with Kenya and will offer a limited number of full scholarships—initially 15—to Kenyan students.

The comments come l after President William Ruto in June, 2025 reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to strengthening ties with Ukraine during bilateral talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Seville, Spain.

Ruto emphasized the partnership’s importance in education, food security, trade, and ICT.

“We recognise the importance of expanding educational opportunities, particularly for our students, and welcome deeper collaboration with Ukraine in this area,” he said.

He also noted Kenya’s interest in using its strategic location for regional distribution of key commodities and fostering joint solutions to food security challenges.

Pravednyk’s remarks highlight Ukraine’s determination to rebuild and strengthen its relationship with Kenya, even amid wartime challenges, focusing on trade recovery, student exchanges, and long-term educational and economic cooperation.