UN, September 28. /TASS/. Ukraine is providing support to terrorist and criminal groups seeking to undermine Mali’s territorial integrity, according to a message from Malian President Assimi Goita, which was delivered at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly by Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

"After Ukraine admitted for the first time in 2024 that it supports terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, it has repeatedly confirmed – at the highest level – its interference in Africa," Goita said. "Not only our state, but also other independent sources attest to Ukraine’s unacceptable conduct. A country that claims to defend its own territorial integrity is providing overt support to terrorist and criminal structures seeking to undermine the territorial integrity of our state."

"From the perspective of history, the international community – and Africa in particular – cannot maintain a criminal silence over Ukraine’s actions, which have numerous detrimental consequences for the continent’s nations," he emphasized. "We know that Ukraine is merely the visible tip of the iceberg in attempts to destabilize our country and prevent it from breaking free from the neocolonial yoke. The policy of terror against our country manifests itself in three forms: military strikes against our armed forces and civilian population, attempts to strangle us economically, and the unleashing of a hostile media campaign."

Goita specifically highlighted Russia’s assistance to "the Armed Forces of Mali and the combined forces of the Confederation of Sahel States in the fight against terrorism."