South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a delegation of African leaders on a peace mission to Ukraine and Russia this week amid attempts to assuage Western concerns that South Africa is siding with Russia in the conflict despite its proclaimed neutrality – which has Ramaphosa doing a round of diplomatic damage control.

Ramaphosa had a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday, June 9 to brief Beijing about the upcoming visit by seven African leaders to Ukraine and Russia to “find a peaceful solution” to the war in Ukraine.

In addition to Ramaphosa, the delegation will include the Republic of Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Azali Assoumani, president of Comoros and current chairperson of the African Union.

These heads of state have, according to official South African statements, “agreed that they would engage with both President [Vladimir] Putin and President [Volodymyr] Zelensky on the elements for a ceasefire and a lasting peace in the region”. Ukraine’s stated position for any peace deal is that all Russian troops must withdraw from all of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014.

Zelensky will be the first to receive this delegation in Kyiv on June 16, followed by Putin on June 17 in St Petersburg.

Source: France 24