African leaders seeking to help bring an end to the war agreed on Monday to a mediation mission to Russia and Ukraine in mid-June, the South African presidency announced on Tuesday. Last month, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had indicated that his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, had agreed to host this peace mission made up of six African leaders. They met virtually on Monday and “agreed to propose elements” to Russia and Ukraine “for a ceasefire and lasting peace in the region”, said a statement from the South African president’s office. “The (African) heads of state confirmed their readiness to visit Ukraine and Russia in mid-June”, it added, without giving a precise date. The foreign ministers of the six countries in question will “finalize the elements of a roadmap to peace”, the statement said.
Africa’s Peace Efforts with Russia and Ukraine Begin
