President William Ruto has reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to global diplomacy and strategic partnerships following a high-level meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Seville, Spain, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.
The bilateral talks took place on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), part of Ruto’s official tour of Spain and the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, President Ruto highlighted Kenya’s desire to deepen ties with Ukraine in various areas, including education, food security, trade, and technology.
“Kenya remains committed to strengthening diplomatic ties with Ukraine for the mutual benefit of our citizens,” Ruto said.
He expressed particular interest in enhancing educational opportunities for Kenyan students, stating:
“We recognise the importance of expanding educational opportunities, particularly for our students, and welcome deeper collaboration with Ukraine in this area.”
The two leaders also discussed measures to bolster food security, a critical issue for both nations. Ruto noted the potential of using Kenya’s geographical advantage to facilitate regional distribution of key commodities.
“We are also keen to address food security challenges together and to explore how Ukraine can leverage Kenya’s strategic location to facilitate the regional distribution of key commodities,” he added.
Beyond agriculture and education, the president emphasised the need to grow cooperation in digital technology and commerce.
“This partnership further provides a valuable platform to expand cooperation in information and communication technology (ICT), as well as trade, for shared growth and development,” he said.
Both Ruto and Shmyhal used the opportunity to affirm their shared commitment to global peace, underscoring the role of multilateral diplomacy in promoting international stability.
“Together, we reaffirmed our shared resolve to promote regional and global stability through peacekeeping, mediation, and multilateral diplomacy, underpinned by a strong commitment to the United Nations Charter and a rules-based international order,” Ruto stated.
European tour
The talks came as part of Ruto’s broader mission to seal landmark agreements during his European tour, which also includes a visit to London for the signing of the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership 2025–2030. The tour is expected to unlock major investment deals and position Nairobi as a financial hub for Sub-Saharan Africa.
The President’s engagements in Seville also include co-chairing a session on climate resilience and youth empowerment with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI, underscoring Kenya’s global push for sustainable development and inclusive growth.
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a digital writer with over five years of experience. He graduated in February 2022 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from The Co-operative University of Kenya. He has written news and feature stories for platforms such as Construction Review Online, Sports Brief, Briefly News, and Criptonizando. In 2023, he completed a course in Digital Investigation Techniques with AFP. He joined K24 Digital in May 2025. For inquiries, he can be reached at [email protected].
