Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have "agreed to receive African delegations and heads of state, in both Moscow and Kiev", Mr Ramaphosa added.
A Ukrainian tank on the front line. Photo: AFP
President Ramaphosa announced that he held “private phone calls” with Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy over the weekend, where he presented an initiative put forward by Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa.
Mr Ramaphosa added that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the African Union (AU) had been briefed on the initiative and welcomed it. He said the conflict was “devastating” and Africa was “suffering greatly” from it.
African countries have been hit hard by high grain prices and the impact on world trade caused by the war.
The announcement came a day after Mr Ramaphosa said South Africa had come under "tremendous political pressure" over the conflict, shortly after accusations from the US that it was supplying weapons to Russia.
Before Africa, many countries and organizations have recently made diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. A Chinese envoy arrived in Kiev on Tuesday for a two-day visit to promote Beijing-led peace talks.
However, UN Secretary-General Guterres recently told a Spanish newspaper that peace talks are difficult to achieve at this point, as both sides are “convinced that they can win.”
Huy Hoang (according to AFP, CNA)
Source
Comment (0)