Kwesi Pratt Jnr claims ‘Zelenskyy is attempting to use Prez Mahama in a political stunt’

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Renowned Pan-Africanist and an affiliate of the Socialist Movement of Ghana, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., is alleging that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is trying to undermine the Non-Aligned foreign policy advocated by Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

In a no-holds-barred article published in The Insight newspaper on Thursday, July 17, 2025, the veteran journalist cautioned Ghanaians not to allow the desperate Zelenskyy to export his troubles to Ghana.

“Unfortunately for Ghanaians, Zelenskyy has chosen Ghana as one of his export destinations to sow seeds of mistrust and undermine the Non-Aligned foreign policy advocated by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,” he said.

Mr. Pratt Jr., who posted the same piece on his X page, alleged that Zelenskyy placed a call to President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, apparently to discuss projects he and former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had agreed to pursue.

“He [Volodymyr Zelensky] was keenly aware of the fact that unlike former President Akufo-Addo, President Mahama has not declared that his government stands firmly with Ukraine and Israel in their wars, which have resulted in needless destruction and loss of thousands of lives.

“President Mahama has always insisted on an immediate and permanent ceasefire based on a negotiated settlement in both cases—and Zelenskyy was fully aware of this. Interestingly, Zelenskyy unilaterally decided to report on this obviously private conversation with President Mahama on his X page,” he lamented.

According to Mr. Pratt Jr., even more worrying was the fact that the Ukrainian Embassy in Accra “gleefully reposted this extremely worrying report, which seeks to draw Ghana into his war with Russia and undermine the President of Ghana’s high standing as one fully committed to facilitating meaningful exchanges between the Alliance of Sahel States and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”

Zelenskyy wrote that “Ghana is also interested in our technologies, the production of various types of drones, and the experience Ukraine has gained during this war. Ghana is ready to finance our production, and we are ready to help our partners secure their borders.”

First and foremost, the Managing Editor of The Insight said it did not make any sense for Ghana to finance Ukraine’s production of drones, given the precarious state of the Ghanaian economy, which is overburdened with debt and power crises.

“What can be the sense in financing Ukraine’s production of drones when Ghana is unable to pay its power sector debt of US$3.7 billion?” he asked.

“Significantly, only yesterday, President Mahama announced the cancellation of petrol allowance and allocation to all political appointees as part of the austerity measures his government is introducing.”

More shocking, Pratt noted, was the promise that Ukraine would help Ghana secure its borders. “Secure the borders from whom? Ghana’s worries about border security do not spring from threats from governments of neighbouring countries but from the terrorists Ukraine is assisting in the Alliance of Sahel States.”

“Secondly, how can the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger trust President Mahama as a friend when Zelenskyy says that Ghana will finance the production of the drones the terrorists are using against their armies—and that Ghana will also allow Ukrainian security forces to freely operate on their border?”

“As for the proposal to ‘deepen our partnership, first and foremost, in the agro-industrial sector and the creation of a food logistics hub in Ghana,’ the least said about it, the better,” Mr. Pratt stressed.

Without mincing words, the veteran activist emphasised that Ukraine, whose leaders are “all over the world with cup in hand, begging for assistance,” cannot be in any position to resolve any of Ghana’s problems.

He revealed that over the last three years, Ukraine had received approximately US$280 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian assistance, with the US alone providing US$199.6 billion in military aid, US$48.8 billion in financial assistance, and US$3.6 billion in humanitarian aid.

He strongly advocated against any attempt by the Ukrainian leader to create diplomatic rows for Ghana.

“Zelenskyy must be stopped from exporting the chaos in Ukraine to Ghana. His support for the terrorists in the Alliance of Sahel States has caused enough problems for us already,” he added.

Media Complicity & Ukrainian Embassy Overreach

“Regrettably, many Ghanaian journalists took Zelenskyy’s tweet at face value, failing to conduct basic fact-checking. Crucially, none of the outlets that published articles alleging Ghana’s funding for drone production sought clarification from the Office of the President,” Kwesi Pratt Jnr. added.

“This raises serious concerns that some articles may have been commissioned content. If true, it signifies an alarming overreach by the Ukrainian Embassy in Ghana, attempting to manipulate the country’s free press.

“Ghana must remain vigilant against such foreign interference and uphold the Non-Aligned principles that have long safeguarded its sovereignty.”