President John Dramani Mahama says he will use his upcoming trip to Russia to push for an end to the war in Ukraine. Speaking in an interview at the Financial Times Africa Summit on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Mahama said he plans to attend the Russia-Africa Summit and will try to persuade President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire, according to a report by Graphic Online.
"I'm going to Russia for the Russia-Africa Summit and try to convince President Putin to have a ceasefire if I can," Mahama said.
The President reaffirmed Ghana's policy of non-alignment, saying the country will maintain friendly relations with rival global powers. "We are friends to all and enemies to none," he said, according to Graphic Online.
He said Ghana welcomes investment from the United States, the European Union, China and Russia, and argued that foreign policy is about attracting investment and securing fair returns for all parties rather than taking sides.
The comments came during a discussion of Russia's role in security operations in the Sahel. Mahama said any partner committed to fighting terrorism should be welcome in the region. "My opinion is that anybody who is committed to the fight against terrorism is welcome," he said.
He noted that Russia's Africa Corps, which replaced the Wagner Group in the region, provides logistical support and technical training to some countries. Ghana, he said, already cooperates on security with the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the United States, including intelligence-sharing and joint training, according to Graphic Online.
Mahama also urged members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), made up of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, to accept help from partners willing to fight terrorism.
The President called for a new approach to security in West Africa, saying the Accra Initiative, a regional security cooperation framework launched in 2017, has stalled. He welcomed recent talks between ECOWAS negotiators and AES representatives in Dakar, Senegal, and expressed hope that the dialogue would lead to a platform for regional cooperation against violent extremism.
Ghana shares a long northern border with Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups have carried out frequent attacks in recent years. Security experts have long warned about the risk of violence spreading into coastal states such as Ghana, Togo and Benin, making regional cooperation a priority for Accra.
The AES countries, all led by military governments, withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025 and have moved closer to Russia, complicating regional security arrangements. Mahama has positioned himself as a bridge-builder between ECOWAS and the AES, appointing a special envoy to the Sahel states and engaging their leaders directly.
The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has affected African countries through higher food, fuel and fertiliser prices. Several African leaders have previously tried to mediate, including a 2023 peace mission that visited both Kyiv and St Petersburg.
Russia-Africa summits bring together African heads of state and Russian officials to discuss trade, security and diplomatic cooperation. Previous summits were held in Sochi in 2019 and St Petersburg in 2023.
Mahama's position mirrors a broader stance among many African governments, which have largely avoided taking sides in the conflict while calling for dialogue. Several African countries abstained in United Nations votes condemning Russia's invasion, citing their non-aligned traditions and long-standing ties with Moscow.
The dates of Mahama's trip to Russia were not given in the report. Diplomats and analysts will be watching to see whether African leaders make a joint push for a ceasefire at the summit, and how Russia responds.
