Contact Us

Ukraine's Zelenskiy meets Sudanese leader, discusses Russian paramilitaries

Reuters WORLD
Published September 23,2023
Subscribe
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends an event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 22, 2023. (REUTERS File Photo)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he held an impromptu meeting in Ireland's Shannon airport with the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and that they discussed Russia-funded armed groups.

"We discussed our common security challenges, namely the activities of illegal armed groups financed by Russia," Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.

He thanked Sudan, which is currently in the midst of a deadly civil war, for its support of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Russia's Wagner mercenary group has operated in Ukraine throughout Moscow's invasion. Western diplomats and media have said the group is also present in Sudan, although Wagner denied this.