The African Mediation Commission came to an end to the “war” in front of Vladimir Putin on Saturday. The day after Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the initiative, he proposed that it would be “very difficult to implement” by the Kremlin.
“The war cannot last forever (…) We want this war to end”, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told Mr. Northwest Russia).
Mr. According to Ramaphosa, the African peace proposals can be summed up in 10 points, including “enlargement on both sides”, “recognition of the sovereignty” of countries recognized by the UN, “security guarantees” for all parties, removal of restrictions on grain exports through the Black Sea, “release of prisoners of war”, as well as post-war reconstruction.
At the end of the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the African project as “very difficult to implement.”
However, “President Putin expressed his willingness to consider it,” Russian news agencies were quoted as saying.
In the delegation, Mr. In addition to Ramaphosa, there were three other presidents: Macky Sall (Senegal), Hakainte Hichilema (Zambia) and the current president of the African Union Assali Assomani (Comoros), as well as representatives from Congo, Uganda and Egypt.
“Continue the conversation”
“African leaders and Mr. Putin have expressed their political will to continue the dialogue”, especially within the framework of the Russia-Africa summit, planned for the end of July in St. Petersburg, Mr. Emphasis is placed on referring to Pesco.
“We are ready for a constructive dialogue with those who want peace, taking into account the principles of justice and the legitimate interests of the parties,” Putin told African leaders.
For his part, Azali Azoumani, president of Comoros, noted that the African delegation was there to “hear the voice of the Russian people” after listening to Ukraine’s voice the previous day.
Food crisis
Africa has been hit hard by rising food prices and the effects of the war on global trade. South Africa, however, refuses to condemn Russia’s aggression and has been criticized for its closeness to the Kremlin.
Russia, for its part, is trying to woo African leaders to its camp, claiming to be a bulwark against imperialism and accusing the West of blocking exports of Russian grain and fertilizers needed by Africa.
“The crisis in the world food market is not the result of a special military operation,” said Mr. Putin repeated, while again dismissing the West’s mistakes.
He said that providing Ukrainian grain under the UN-backed grain deal “will not solve the problems of African countries in need of food.”
Rejection from Kiev
The African delegation arrived in Russia a day after the visit to Kiev, where its members held “constructive discussions” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who, however, rejected their proposals.
Mr. Zelensky rejected the African mediation offer, denouncing it as “a sham” amid a counterattack by Moscow’s armed forces.
“To allow negotiations with Russia now while the aggressor is on our land is to freeze the war, freeze the pain and suffering,” he said.
While Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he believed Kiev’s counteroffensive had “no chance” of success, Ukraine, for its part, said it had liberated a few areas and hundreds of square kilometers, mainly in the south of the front.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, the number of floods caused by the destruction of a dam on the Dnieper River last week has worsened.
In Russian-controlled areas, the death toll rose from 17 to 29, according to Andrei Alekseïenko, head of the Russian occupation of the Kherson region. For its part, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry now reports 16 dead and 31 missing. On June 12, 10 people died and 41 were missing.
No preferential treatment
As Kiev pushes to join NATO sooner, US President Joe Biden has assured Washington that Ukraine will not be a priority in its NATO membership process.
Asked by reporters if he wanted to “facilitate” Kiev’s membership in the Atlantic alliance, Mr. Biden said “no,” promising that Ukraine “must meet all the criteria. So we’re not going to make it easy.”
The comments come ahead of next year’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11 and 12.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
“Avid gamer. Social media geek. Proud troublemaker. Thinker. Travel fan. Problem solver.”