2023-05-17 12:29:58
Six African leaders plan to lead and facilitate what they hope will be the start of peace talks between Moscow and kyiv more than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday (May 16th) that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had agreed to meet with a group of African leaders to discuss a possible peace plan for the conflict.
Six African leaders plan to travel to Moscow and Kiev “as soon as possible” to help find a solution to the war, Ramaphosa said. The South African leader said he presented the peace initiative, drawn up by Zambia, Senegal, Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa, separately to Putin and Zelensky over the weekend. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the African Union (AU) were briefed on the initiative and welcomed it, while the US and UK expressed ‘cautious’ support to the proposal, according to Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa did not give a specific timetable for the visit or other details, saying only that the conflict had been “devastating” and that Africa was “suffering a lot as well”. African countries have been hit hard by rising grain prices and the impact on world trade. The war is largely at a stalemate, although Ukraine is expected to soon launch a counter-offensive in an attempt to retake Russian-occupied lands.
Considered one of Moscow’s closest allies on the continent, South Africa says it is impartial and has abstained from voting on UN resolutions on the war.
1684329116
#African #leaders #facilitate #talks