African leaders to broker peace

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on his visit to Ukraine. Pic/PTI

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday is set to host a group of African leaders who travelled to Russia on a self-styled "peace mission" after their trip to Ukraine.

Seven African leaders "presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt's prime minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda" visited Ukraine on Friday to try to help end their nearly 16-month-old war.

The African leaders travelled to St. Petersburg on Saturday to meet with Putin who attended a business forum in Russia's second-largest city. The mission to Ukraine, the first of its kind by African leaders, comes in the wake of other peace initiatives The war has impeded exports from one of the world's most important breadbaskets.

"This conflict is affecting Africa negatively," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a news conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and four other African leaders after their closed-door talks on Friday. Ramaphosa and others acknowledged the intensity of the hostilities but insisted all wars must come to an end.

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