Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged African leaders to demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin release political prisoners in Crimea and beyond, saying it would be an “important step” during their visit to Russia on Saturday.
Seven African leaders – the presidents of the Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as the Egyptian prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda – visited Ukraine on Friday as part of a self-styled “peace mission” to Ukraine and Russia are trying to help end the nearly 16-month-old Russo-Ukrainian war.
African leaders will travel to the Russian city of St. Petersburg to meet Putin on Saturday.
The visit to Ukraine, the first of its kind by an African leader, follows other peace initiatives from countries such as China.
“This conflict is having an impact on Africa,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told a news conference Friday afternoon after closed-door talks with Zelenskiy and four other African heads of state or government. Negative impact.”
The trip is seen as crucial because many African countries depend to varying degrees on food and fertilizer deliveries from Russia and Ukraine, whose war has jeopardized and hampered exports from one of the world‘s most important granaries.
Ramaphosa added, “I do believe that Ukrainians feel that they have to fight and not give up, the road to peace is very difficult.”
“Today, we even told President Zelensky that not only do we share their (Ukrainian) views, but we also respect their views on the ongoing war, but we also said that it is necessary to end this conflict as soon as possible. “
Zelensky told reporters after meeting a delegation of African leaders, “I have made it clear many times in our meetings that now that the occupiers are on our soil, to allow any negotiations with Russia is to freeze war, freeze suffering and suffering.”
Zelensky also said peace talks with Russia would only be possible after Moscow withdrew its troops from occupied Ukrainian territory.
“We need real peace, and therefore, a real withdrawal of Russian troops from our entire independent land.”
“Release Prisoners”
The news conference became tense when Comoros President Azali Assoumani floated the idea of a “road map” for peace, prompting questions from Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian president seeking clarification and insisting He said he did not want “any surprises” from their visit with Putin.
Zelensky then urged them to help free political prisoners from Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Can Russia release political prisoners?” He added, “Maybe this will be an important outcome of your mission, your ‘roadmap’.”
Earlier, as the visit began, air raid sirens sounded in the Ukrainian capital, with explosions shaking Kiev.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later tweeted: “Putin is ‘building confidence’ by launching the largest missile attack on Kiev in weeks, coinciding with the visit of African leaders to our capital, He added, “Russia’s missiles send a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace.”
Ahead of their meeting with Zelensky, the African leaders visited Butchar, a Kiev suburb where civilian bodies littered the streets last year after Russian forces abandoned their bid to seize the capital and withdrew from the area.
forward peace plan
The peace mission could propose a series of “confidence-building measures” during the initial mediation, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters.
The document states that the goal of the peace mission is to “promote the importance of peace and encourage the parties to agree to a diplomatically led negotiating process”.
Its measures could include a Russian retreat, the withdrawal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus and a moratorium on the ICC arrest warrant against Putin.
A ceasefire could follow and would need to be accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West, the document said.
Kiev said its own plan, which envisages the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, must form the basis of any solution to the war.
diplomatic impasse
Meanwhile, a diplomatic standoff between South African officials and Polish authorities continued in Warsaw.
News 24 in South Africa reported that the brawl started after a chartered plane carrying the president’s security personnel and journalists landed in the Polish capital from Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
Ramaphosa – who landed on another special plane – had to take a train to Kiev with an unknown number of security personnel, although the plane was reportedly still stuck in Warsaw.
News 24 reported that “the second charter flight, apparently supposed to bring the security team to southern Poland to meet the president before he left for Kiev, never arrived to pick up the South African when he arrived at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport.”
“It is unclear who was the service provider for the second charter flight.”
According to South African journalists present, Polish authorities refused to allow South African security personnel to leave the plane and threatened to confiscate 13 containers of weapons and equipment on board.
In response, General Wally Lord, head of Ramaphosa’s security team, called a news conference on the steps of the plane.
He accused the Polish authorities of “sabotage” and “racism,” according to media EWN, saying “they are delaying us.” He added, “They put our president’s life at risk because we could have done it this afternoon.” Already in Kiev.”