The US ambassador to the United Nations says that African states cannot remain neutral on the war in Ukraine.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted that in the General Assembly vote two weeks ago to deplore the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 17 African countries - half of the world total - abstained and another eight did not vote at all.
The ambassador says there can be no neutral ground, and that this crisis was not simply a Cold War competition between the West and Russia.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield says the US was helping to find alternative sources of commodities that countries import from Russia.