RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with a group of African leaders who embarked on a ‘peace mission’ to Russia following their visit to Ukraine. However, the meeting concluded without any discernible advancement towards resolving the ongoing conflict. The seven African leaders, including the presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia, along with Egypt’s prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda, had travelled to Ukraine on Friday in an attempt to assist in ending the nearly 16-month-long war.
Subsequently, the African delegation arrived in St. Petersburg on Saturday to meet with President Putin, who was attending Russia’s prominent international economic forum. During the meeting, Putin reiterated his stance that Ukraine and its Western allies were responsible for instigating the conflict long before Russia deployed its armed forces across the border in February of the previous year.
In his address to the delegation, Putin shifted blame to the West for the significant surge in global food prices in early 2022, which had severely impacted Africa. He argued that the Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports, permitted by Russia over the past year, had done little to alleviate Africa’s struggles with soaring food prices as they predominantly went to wealthier nations. Putin also highlighted Russia’s willingness for talks with Ukraine, claiming that Kiev had been the party obstructing the negotiations.
However, Moscow has consistently maintained that any peace agreement must acknowledge the ‘new realities’ resulting from its annexation of five Ukrainian provinces, four of which it only partially controls. This territorial claim serves as a red line for Kiev.
Following the three-hour meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that the African leaders’ peace plan consisted of ten elements, although it was not formally documented. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the complexity of the proposed peace initiative, stating, ‘The peace initiative proposed by African countries is very difficult to implement, difficult to compare positions. But President Putin has shown interest in considering it.’ Peskov emphasized the need to continue working towards a resolution despite the divergent positions.
Foreign Minister Lavrov highlighted the understanding shown by the African Union representatives regarding the root causes of the crisis, attributing blame to the West. Lavrov said, ‘The main conclusion, in my opinion, from today’s conversation is that our partners from the African Union have shown an understanding of the true causes of the crisis that was created by the West, and have shown an understanding that it is necessary to get out of this situation on the basis of addressing these underlying causes.’
Russia claims that it was compelled to send troops into Ukraine due to perceived threats arising from Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, as well as its support from the United States and Western Europe.
This visit to Ukraine by African leaders, the first of its kind, follows other peace initiatives, including one by China. The outcome carries significant importance for Africa, which heavily relies on food and fertiliser deliveries from both Russia and Ukraine. The war has impeded exports from one of the world’s most crucial breadbasket regions.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and four other African leaders after their closed-door talks on Friday, acknowledged the negative impact of the conflict on Africa. Ramaphosa stated, ‘This conflict is affecting Africa negatively.’ He emphasised the necessity of ending all wars and expressed their willingness to facilitate that objective.
While South Africa, Senegal, and Uganda have refrained from condemning Moscow over the conflict, Egypt, Zambia, and Comoros voted against Russia in a UN General Assembly resolution last year, condemning its invasion.
Notably, Comoros President Azali Assoumani proposed the idea of a ‘road map’ to peace during the news conference, prompted questions from President Zelenskyy, who sought clarification and expressed a desire to avoid any surprises during their meeting with Putin.
Given the significant differences in positions between Ukraine and Russia, the prospects for peace talks appear dim. Ukraine insists on Russia’s complete withdrawal from all occupied territories as a precondition for negotiations, while the Kremlin seeks recognition of its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and other territorial gains it has made.
China presented its own peace plan at the end of February, which was largely dismissed by Ukraine and its allies as the warring factions remain far from reaching a ceasefire.
