Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry accompanied leaders and officials from six other African nations on a weekend mission to Kyiv and then Moscow to push for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The delegation met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, according to a Kremlin statement, having met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv the day before.
Ramaphosa laid out 10 main points, including de-escalation of the conflict by both sides, diplomatic negotiations, and recognizing the sovereignty of states in accordance with the UN Charter. He also called for a reopening of the Black Sea so that grains can be exported, an exchange of prisoners of war, and post-war reconstruction.
The African leaders will face an uphill battle to convince the warring sides to lay down their weapons. Zelenskiy has rejected any deal that entails Ukraine ceding territory to Russia, and Putin is unlikely to agree to conditions for a troop withdrawal.
“Ukraine wants peace more than anyone, but we won’t achieve diplomacy with Russia while they are on our territory,” Zelenskiy said Friday after meeting the African leaders.
In response, Senegal President Macky Sall said that even when you’re fighting, you still probably need to leave room for dialogue.
