NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 17 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President William Ruto have agreed to deepen “high-tech cooperation” between Kenya and Ukraine, building on an expanding partnership that now spans diplomacy, culture and institutional collaboration.
The talks, held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France on Tuesday, focused on investment attraction, agricultural innovation and education, with both leaders expressing readiness to advance joint projects through technical teams.
Zelensky said the discussions with President Ruto centered on expanding cooperation across multiple sectors and implementing practical joint initiatives.
“During a meeting with President of Kenya WilliamsRuto, we discussed the development of high-tech cooperation across various sectors: investment attraction, agriculture, and education,” Zelensky said.
“We are ready to share our experience with Kenya and implement joint projects. We agreed that our teams will work out the details of possible cooperation.”
He added that Ukraine values Kenya’s continued support at the United Nations, particularly in resolutions backing Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and efforts toward a lasting peace.
Kenya has consistently aligned itself with key UN General Assembly resolutions on the Ukraine conflict, voting in favour of measures supporting Ukraine’s position since the outbreak of the war.
These include the February 2026 peace resolution, where Kenya joined 107 countries in backing a call for comprehensive and lasting peace; the November 2022 vote supporting reparations and legal accountability for Russia; and earlier 2022 resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion while reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“I thank Kenya for supporting Ukraine’s resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly. We also paid special attention to cooperation within international organizations,” Zelensky said.
The latest engagement builds on steadily deepening Kenya–Ukraine relations, which in recent months have expanded beyond diplomacy into cultural and institutional cooperation.
In May, the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) and the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening cultural exchange, knowledge sharing and digital collaboration between the two countries.
The agreement, which also marked the launch of East Africa’s first Ukrainian Bookshelf in Nairobi, was part of broader efforts to enhance people-to-people ties and promote mutual understanding through literature and education.
Ukrainian officials described the initiative as a tool for cultural diplomacy, while Kenyan counterparts emphasized its role in enriching access to global knowledge and fostering international dialogue.
The Ruto-Zelensky meeting in France is the latest in a series of efforts toward broader economic and technological cooperation, particularly in agriculture, innovation and education.
Kenya has increasingly positioned itself as a key African partner in international cooperation frameworks, while Ukraine continues to expand its engagement with African states through trade, education and development partnerships.
Zelensky said Ukraine and Kenya will task technical teams with developing a roadmap for implementation of proposed cooperation projects.
