Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Russia’s foreign policy interests in Southern Africa.

The UK Government has not made a formal assessment of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Russia's foreign policy interests in Southern Africa. At the recent UNGA vote to condemn actions in Ukraine, eight members of the Southern Africa Development Community voted in favour, seven abstained and one did not vote. Despite several countries in the region abstaining in the UN vote, many of them have expressed their concerns about Russian aggression. The Minister for Africa discussed Ukraine prior to the UNGA vote with many of her Southern African counterparts including the Deputy Foreign Minister of South Africa, the Foreign Minister of Namibia and the Foreign Minister of Botswana, underlining the importance of unity amongst the international community against unprovoked and illegal Russian aggression. UK embassies across the region continue to engage host governments on this issue.