Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has extended an invitation to Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to visit, a month after he hosted three African presidents in Kiev who had proposed talks with Russia.
"The voice of Ethiopia, the African Union, the whole of Africa is very important to us," Zelenskyy said, according to a statement from his office.
He emphasized the need to create a platform for dialogue with African countries.
The phone call was the first between leaders of the two countries in the history of their relations.
Sway African nations
Ukraine and Russia have been engaging in diplomatic initiatives to sway African nations to their corner. The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers have both toured the continent in the last two months.
Zelensky in June met with the delegation of African presidents in Kiev whose proposal included de-escalation and eventual talks with Kremlin.
The Ukranian president ruled out talks with Russia while its forces occupied Ukrainian land.
The Africa peace initiative was led by South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema and Comoros’ Azali Assoumani.
The trio also separately met Russian President Vladimir Putin who said Ukraine had always refused talks.
