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Africa Moyo
Deputy News Editor
President Mnangagwa has exposed the United States’ double standards after the country wrote a letter to Zimbabwe seeking its support in the imposition of sanctions against Russia following the special military operation in Ukraine.

The President said this while addressing Glen View residents on Saturday.

“You wrote me a letter, you Americans, saying there is a war between Russia and Ukraine and you want Zimbabwe to support Ukraine, to support the Americans, to support the British, to support the EU, to impose sanctions on Russia,” said President Mnangagwa.

“So I said no, you are forgetting that as Zimbabwe we are under (the same) sanctions that you have imposed on Russia. So you want us to support the imposition of sanctions on Russia when you also imposed sanctions on us? No! No!

“That is your own matter. We actually wish that you remove the sanctions you imposed on Zimbabwe.”

President Mnangagwa said they ended up agreeing that Zimbabwe will dispatch a high-powered delegation to the US to discuss the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe since 2001.

The delegation will include Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Ambassador Frederick Shava and Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube.

Since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia has been slapped with a range of sanctions by the US and the European Union.

Some of the sanctions imposed by the US include a ban on new investment in Russia.

Russia’s largest bank and several of its most critical state-owned enterprises and Russian government officials and their family members are also on sanctions.

Following the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, there are widespread food shortages globally while prices have also skyrocketed.

President Mnangagwa further told Glen View residents that he was aware that they wanted more buses, but said accessing them was a challenge due to the US sanctions.

“I hear you saying that buses (Zupco) are few. We are under sanctions and we have challenges accessing lines of credit,” he said.

The President added that developing countries like Zimbabwe develop through support from World Bank, the IMF, the International Finance Corporation and other international financial institutions.

The sanctions have left Zimbabwe to fund its infrastructure projects such as roads, schools, dams and construction of clinics through internally generated funds.