According to South Africa’s president on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have agreed to separate meetings with a delegation of leaders from six African nations to discuss a potential strategy to end the war in Ukraine.
Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, claimed that during a phone conversation he had over the weekend with both Zelenskyy and Putin, they both promised to organise “an African leaders peace mission” in Moscow and Kyiv, respectively.
“Principal to our discussions are efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict in the Ukraine,” Ramaphosa said.
The trip would also include Ramaphosa and the presidents of Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Egypt, he declared in a statement. He received permission from Putin and Zelenskyy to “commence the preparations,” according to the South African president.
South Africa, the Republic of Congo, Senegal, and Uganda, four of the six African nations, abstained from a U.N. resolution last year denouncing Russia’s incursion. Egypt and Zambia cast votes in favour of the proposal.
Ramaphosa did not specify a timeline or any ground rules for potential peace negotiations. Zelenskyy has stated that until Russian forces have fully withdrawn from Ukrainian land, he will not entertain a peace agreement to end the 15-month conflict.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres also was briefed on the African delegation’s planned meetings and “welcomed the initiative,” Ramaphosa said.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed Monday that Ramaphosa spoke to Gutteres Monday afternoon during his visit to Jamaica.
“As we’ve said before, we are in favor of any initiative that could lead us to a peace in line with the (U.N.) Charter, in line with international law and in line with General Assembly resolutions,” Dujarric said.
The introduction of the African-led peace initiative coincided with Russia’s major airstrike on Kyiv.
Tuesday saw no quick response from Kiev or the Kremlin. In a readout of their Friday phone call, Putin was quoted as saying that he agreed with Ramaphosa that “a group of African leaders participating in the discussion of the prospects of resolving the Ukrainian conflict” was a good proposal.
When Ramaphosa claimed to have spoken with Putin over the weekend, it wasn’t immediately apparent if he meant that particular phone call.
The leadership role that South Africa holds within the African delegation is sure to grab attention. Days after the U.S. ambassador charged South Africa with supporting Russia in the conflict in Ukraine and even supplying weapons to Moscow. Read here
