South African President In Ukraine To Mediate Peace Talks Between Kyiv And Moscow

Cyril Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine on Friday as part of a delegation of African leaders attempting to mediate peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.

Four presidents and three delegates are scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv before traveling to Saint Petersburg to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

The high-profile diplomatic delegation intends to bring the voice of a continent that has been severely impacted by soaring grain prices and the wider impact on global trade since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year to the table.

The South African presidency tweeted, “ARRIVAL]: His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa has arrived at Nemishaeve Railway Station in Ukraine and is received by Ukraine’s Special Envoy for Africa & the Middle East Ambassador Maksym Subhk and South African Ambassador to Ukraine Mr Andre Groenewald”, through its official Twitter handle.

Also read: Kremlin: Putin Open To Any Contacts On Ukrainian Problem

Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Macky Sall of Senegal and Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, plus Comoros President Azali Assoumani, who now chairs the African Union.

Three other presidents who were supposed to make the trip, including Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Congo-Brazzaville’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso, have backed out of the visit and have sent other delegates instead.

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Spriha Rai