June 17, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed, on Saturday, his “readiness for a constructive dialogue with those who want peace,” during his meeting with African mediators on Ukraine, praising their “balanced approach” to this crisis.

Putin told African leaders that Moscow welcomed their balanced approach to the conflict in Ukraine and that his country was open to dialogue.

“We are open to conducting a constructive dialogue with all those who want peace on the basis of the principles of justice and taking into account the legitimate interests of both sides,” Putin added.

Putin told African leaders that the global food market crisis is not a consequence of the conflict in Ukraine, noting that Moscow does not believe that Ukrainian grain supplies help solve the food crisis.

Leaders from South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, the Republic of the Congo and the Comoros met Putin at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, northwest Russia, following visiting Kiev on Friday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who heads this delegation, was the first to arrive Saturday in St. Petersburg, “in search of a path towards peace following sixteen months of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which caused (…) comprehensive instability,” according to what the South African presidency announced. .

This visit comes the day following a similar visit to Kiev, during which Ramaphosa held, according to the same source, “constructive talks” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stressing from the Ukrainian capital the need to “contain the escalation on both sides.”

On Friday, the Ukrainian president refused to negotiate with Moscow, denouncing a “cheating” by Russia in the midst of a counterattack by Ukrainian forces.

“It is clear that Russia is trying once more to use its old cheating tactic. But Russia will no longer succeed in deceiving the world. We will not give it a second chance,” Zelensky said during a press conference with the African leaders participating in the delegation.

African mediation is the latest in a series of diplomatic efforts that have not succeeded so far in putting an end to the conflict.

The African continent was hit hard following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, with soaring grain and fertilizer prices and the broader impact of the war on global trade.