Ukraine Slams Mali’s Decision to Sever Diplomatic Ties

In a sharp rebuke, Ukraine has criticized Mali’s decision to cut diplomatic ties, labeling it "short-sighted and hasty." The West African nation made the announcement on Sunday, citing comments from Ukraine’s military spy agency regarding the recent clashes in northern Mali.

According to reports, Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility for the incident, which resulted in the deaths of at least 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers. This marks Wagner’s most significant defeat since they began assisting Mali’s military authorities against insurgent groups two years ago.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry stated that it is "regrettable" that Mali decided to sever relations without thoroughly examining the facts and circumstances of the incident, as well as providing any evidence of Ukraine’s involvement. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s military spy agency, Andriy Yusov, mentioned on television that Malian rebels had received the "necessary" information to carry out the attack.

Ukraine, which has been fending off Russian troops for over 29 months, did not confirm its involvement in the incident in its statement. Mali, however, expressed "deep shock" over the "subversive remarks," interpreting them as an admission of involvement and condemning the actions as violations of its sovereignty and equating them to supporting international terrorism.

Senegalese authorities also summoned Ukraine’s ambassador, Yurii Pyvovarov, over the weekend, accusing him of supporting the attack in a since-deleted video posted on the Ukrainian embassy’s Facebook account.

The accusations against Kyiv come at a time of fraying relations between the West and coup-affected Sahel nations. Following military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in recent years, the juntas have expelled French and U.S. forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance.