Kyiv was offered a barter. Africa’s “Peace Plan”.

Points of the African “peace plan” involve the easing of sanctions against Russia in exchange for the withdrawal of occupying troops, the media reported.

The seven African leaders arrived in Kyiv on June 16, and the next day, June 17, they will go to St. Petersburg. The main purpose of their visit was an attempt to peacefully resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa led a delegation that also included the heads of state of Zambia, Senegal and Comoros, the Prime Minister of Egypt and the foreign minister of Uganda.

Note that all the countries represented have taken different positions on the war: South Africa, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo abstained from a United Nations resolution earlier this year that condemned a full-scale invasion of Russia and demanding that it withdraw its troops. Only Zambia and Egypt voted in favor of the resolution, while Senegal did not participate.

South Africa is generally criticized in the West for its warm relationship with Moscow – earlier this year it hosted Russian warships for joint military exercises – and last month the ambassador accused US in South Africa the country of supplying weapons to Russia. So what message did the leaders of the African countries bring and what kind of “peace plan” did they propose, read in the story Correspondet.net.

“Greeting” the delegation by shelling

During the delegation’s visit to Kyiv, the Russians launched a Kalibrama and Kinzhal missile attack on the Ukrainian capital. The representative of the President of South Africa, Vincent Magvenya, said that this had no effect on the work of African leaders.

Magvenya added that, despite the missile attack, the work of the “peacekeeping mission” continues – “everything is going according to plan and progressing well.”

“Oddly enough, we did not hear any sirens or explosions. The African Peace Mission program is proceeding as planned,” it wrote Venya.

He said the African delegation had some “delays” in Poland. The charter flight on which the leaders of the African countries were traveling was slightly delayed and the leaders had to spend the night on the plane.

Although the delegation did not officially confirm this, Reuters correspondents reported that the African leaders stepped down to cover during the alarm. Foreign journalists say they were seen entering one of the hotels in Kyiv where the vault is located.

We also noted that in the morning the delegation visited Bucha to see with their own eyes all the war crimes committed by the Russians during the occupation in March 2022. The representative of Ramaphos added that the “peace initiative” is the first time Africa came together to resolve a conflict outside the continent.

“This conflict has seriously affected Africa in terms of food insecurity and grain prices, fertilizer prices, but also this mission serves to find a path to peace that will end the suffering of Ukrainians,” said Magvenia.

His Excellency the President @CyrilRamaphosa and other African Heads of State and Government participating in the African Leaders Peace Mission today at St Andrew’s Orthodox Church in the City of Bucha in Kiev, Ukraine, receiving a briefing before their visit to the Mass Grave… pic.twitter.com/NawzZOq95J

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) June 16, 2023

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reacted sharply to the Russian strike in Kyiv during the visit of African leaders.

“Putin is ‘building confidence’ by delivering the biggest missile attack on Kiev in recent weeks, precisely during the visit of African leaders to our capital. Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace,” he wrote. in Twitter.

Items of the African “peace plan”

On the eve of the delegation’s visit to Kyiv, Reuters published a draft “peace plan” for Africa. Media say this particular framework document will be proposed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

According to journalists, the “peace plan” includes a proposal to Kyiv and Moscow of a number of measures “to strengthen mutual trust.”

Here are some points of Africa’s “peace plan” to end the war in Ukraine:

• removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus;

• the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territories of Ukraine;

• suspension of the arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court;

• unconditional agreement on grain and fertilizers;

• easing sanctions against Russia.

“The above measures should be aimed at promoting the creation of an environment conducive to a ceasefire, which will allow the parties to build confidence and consider the development of their strategies for the restoration of peace ,” the document said.

Note that in the West, South African President Ramaphos is considered an experienced negotiator who played a key role in the negotiations that ended apartheid. But so far, the “peace plans” proposed by other countries, including China, have failed, and critics doubt that the mission of African leaders will achieve much.

Document Reaction

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the mission of African leaders, as well as Ukraine. But last week, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba warned that some things are non-negotiable.

“Any peace initiative must respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, it must not mean, even between the lines, any recognition of Ukrainian territory as Russian. Second, any “peace plan” must not lead on freezing the conflict,” he said. hut

Kuleba’s position was shared by European Commission representative Peter Stano. In particular, he said in Brussels today that the EU will not accept the “peace plan” for Africa if it proposes to freeze the conflict.

This category includes proposals for a cease-fire, referendums, the creation of “gray zones” controlled by international peacekeepers, urgent peace negotiations without the withdrawal of enemy troops, etc. Proposals to give some territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation are being analyzed in a similar way.

Results of negotiations with Zelensky

In the evening, the Office of the President announced the results of the meeting between the Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky and a delegation from Africa. According to the OPU press service, Zelensky presented the Ukrainian formula of peace to the leaders of African countries. He stressed that stopping Russian terrorism and withdrawing Russian troops from all of Ukraine is the only thing that can stop this war.

“Ukraine and the whole world do not need either ‘frozen’ conflicts or raging wars. Peace is needed,” convinced the President of Ukraine.

Office of the President of Ukraine

“Food security, radiation security, navigational safety, stability of international markets and social peace in the world – all this is possible only when there is no aggression and when the peace formula is implemented. All the countries of the world should live freely, without imposing the will of other people for military or political purposes,” said the head of state.

Zelensky confirmed that the African peace formula supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but emphasized that the Russian leadership sees any negotiations as an opportunity to accumulate strength and expand aggression, and Ukraine is became convinced of it.

“Now I see the hope of our joint work on specific points of the peace formula. Of course, I invited African states to participate in the Global Peace Summit that we are preparing,” he added.

In addition, during the meeting, the parties discussed the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and its consequences for people, the environment and infrastructure facilities. Also during the talks, issues of world food security were discussed.

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