“In diplomacy we always say, there’s no free lunch, there’s a catch somewhere” In this episode, Alan Kasujja speaks to Russian ambassador to Malawi and Zimbabwe, Nikolai Krasilnikov. His country donated 20, 000 tons of fertilizer to Malawi and 18 helicopters to Zimbabwe for policing, wild life protection duties and disaster management. But why is Russia appearing to be going out of its way to find friends in Africa? What’s the end game here? These developments come at a time when South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa is planning to lead an African delegation to the troubled European region. They will be meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin, in a bid to find a solution to the on-going war. Guests: Nikolai Krasilnikov and Kinsgley Makhubela