Putin and Zelensky ‘agree to meet African leaders to discuss peace plan’

According to the president of South Africa, both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have expressed their agreement to hold individual meetings with a delegation comprising African heads of state. The purpose of these meetings is to explore potential strategies aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

According to a statement from the spokesperson of Cyril Ramaphosa’s office, the South African president had a phone conversation with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts during the weekend. The statement mentioned that they reached an agreement to organize separate peace missions in Moscow and Kyiv, respectively, specifically termed as ‘an African leaders’ peace mission.’President Ramaphosa stated that the leaders of Zambia, Senegal, Congo, Uganda, and Egypt are planning to accompany him on this mission. He also mentioned that both President Putin and President Zelensky approved and gave him the green light to begin the necessary preparations.

No specific information was provided regarding the specific topics or agenda of the upcoming discussions. It is worth noting that President Zelensky has previously stated that he would not consider a peace agreement to end the 15-month war until all Russian forces completely withdraw from Ukrainian territory.