Ukraine’s Ambassador to Kenya, Andrii Pravednyk, has expressed gratitude to Kenya for its continued support during the ongoing conflict in his country, praising both the government and ordinary citizens for their solidarity.

In an interview with Radio Generation on Tuesday, Pravednyk explained Kenya’s diplomatic backing, participation in international peace initiatives, and the humanitarian contributions of its people, emphasizing the strong ties between the two nations.

“It’s important to underline that Ukraine is really grateful to Kenya as a country, to Kenya political leadership, and what most importantly for me is to ordinary Kenyan people for your support of Ukraine during these challenging times at the level of the government,” Pravednyk said.

He noted that Kenya has consistently supported Ukraine in international forums, particularly within the United Nations, voting in favor of Ukrainian initiatives and resolutions.

The ambassador praised Kenya’s active role in global peace efforts, noting its participation in last year’s peace summit in Switzerland.

“Kenya was among a few African countries which took place last year in the formula peace summit in Switzerland, and even more, President Ruto chaired the panel on food security, together with the leadership of all food program, and that showed us again and again your strong support and understanding of Kenya and Kenyan people of the importance of supporting Ukraine,” he said.

Pravednyk also highlighted the contributions of ordinary Kenyans. He explained that a special account for donations was created at the start of the war, and tens of thousands of Kenyans contributed whatever they could, from small to large amounts.

“For us, it was not important, and still not important at all, whether it’s donation of Sh 20 or Sh 10,000 shillings. And I know that many ordinary Kenyans who actually fighting for their livelihood, actually donated whatever they could for the good cause of supporting Ukraine, yes and yes, yes, definitely,” he said.

The funds collected were directed through the Ukrainian program United 24, which provides humanitarian assistance, including medical aid and support for those who lost their homes.

“We as an embassy, send this money to that account called United 24 in Ukraine, with all this donation from mostly ordinary Kenyans, for which we’re really grateful to all of them,” Pravednyk added.

The ambassador’s remarks underline the strong diplomatic and people-to-people ties between Kenya and Ukraine, demonstrating Kenya’s commitment to humanitarian and international support even during challenging times.