Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, H.E. Mr. Andrij Sybiha:

Ukraine has taken note of the statement issued by the Ministry of International Relations of the Republic of Botswana on February 26th on reports regarding Batswana nationals recruited into Russia’s war against Ukraine. We welcome the efforts of Botswana’s government to engage with relevant authorities. Ukraine remains open to bilateral dialogue on this matter.

We invite the Ministry of International Relations of Botswana to formally raise the issue with the Ukrainian authorities, in line with Botswana’s longstanding practice of consulting all relevant parties.

We stand ready to provide available information and assessments based on our intelligence, which may complement information obtained from other sources. Ukraine’s position remains consistent: participation of foreign citizens in Russia’s war of aggression carries serious and often fatal consequences. Moreover, participation of Batswana citizens in foreign armed conflicts as mercenaries is prohibited under Botswana’s national legislation.