Ukraine: The Latest - Exclusive interview with President of Malawi
Today on the Telegraph’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast, we discuss the rush to boost Ukraine’s air defences and the apparent survival of a Black Sea Fleet Commander believed to be killed in a missile strike. Plus, Assistant Comment Editor Francis Dearnley interviews the President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, at the United Nations.
In a wide-ranging interview, the President also offers his perspective on the geopolitical issues impacting the African Continent, including Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal. Francis asks the President about the prospect of that being renegotiated. Mr Chakwera responds:
We need to renegotiate this. First of all, the war in Eastern Europe has not helped anyone. Supply chains have been affected everywhere. And prices of fertilisers that are used in food production have been affected. It has made life extremely difficult for everyone. And so we believe in peace, we believe in dialogue, in contact. We believe in sitting down and discussing issues because the premium on human life is way too much to pay.
We should not continue to see lives lost, children, and women particularly, who really become the people that most suffer when such things happen.
When asked whether he’s optimistic a deal can be done, he replies:
I believe so. I believe in the human good, that in the end, what will it profit anyone? Should
more and more people continue to suffer, more and more people continue to die, and more and more destruction.
Listen to Ukraine: the Latest, The Telegraph’s daily podcast, using the audio player at the top of this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.
War in Ukraine is reshaping our world. Every weekday The Telegraph’s top journalists analyse the invasion from all angles - military, humanitarian, political, economic, historical - and tell you what you need to know to stay updated.
With over 40 million downloads, our Ukraine: The Latest podcast is your go-to source for all the latest analysis, live reaction and correspondents reporting on the ground. We have been broadcasting ever since the full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine: The Latest’s regular contributors are:
David Knowles
David is Head of Audio Development at The Telegraph, where he has worked for nearly three years. He has reported from across Ukraine during the full-scale invasion.
Dominic Nicholls
Dom is Associate Editor (Defence) at The Telegraph, having joined in 2018. He previously served for 23 years in the British Army, in tank and helicopter units. He had operational deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.
Francis Dearnley
Francis is assistant comment editor at The Telegraph. Prior to working as a journalist, he was chief of staff to the Chair of the Prime Minister’s Policy Board at the Houses of Parliament in London. He studied History at Cambridge University and on the podcast explores how the past shines a light on the latest diplomatic, political, and strategic developments.
They are also regularly joined by The Telegraph’s foreign correspondents around the world, including Joe Barnes (Brussels), Sophia Yan (China), Nataliya Vasilyeva (Russia), Roland Oliphant (Senior Reporter) and Colin Freeman (Reporter). In London, Venetia Rainey (Weekend Foreign Editor), Katie O’Neill (Assistant Foreign Editor), and Verity Bowman (News Reporter) also frequently appear to offer updates.