ST. PETERSBURG, July 30. /TASS/. Russia cannot comply with the African Peace Initiative's ceasefire clause, as Ukraine is conducting a large-scale offensive, President Vladimir Putin told reporters.
"There are things that are difficult to implement or unrealizable. For example, one of the clauses there is a ceasefire. But the Ukrainian army is advancing, they are attacking, as they say, they are implementing a large-scale strategic offensive. Why asking us for a ceasefire? We cannot stop the fire when they are advancing upon us," he said, referring to the African Peace Initiative.
Putin also recalled that Russia has never abandoned peace talks on Ukraine.
“There is a decree [in Ukraine] forbidding negotiations, but we do not refuse,” the Russian President said, noting that African leaders “gave thought” to his remark during yesterday’s talks. He stressed that the consent of both sides is necessary to start the negotiation process.
On May 14, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that African countries were working on an attempt to convince the Russian Federation and Ukraine to start negotiations. On June 16, the peace mission visited Kiev, where it held talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. The next day, the mission was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. The main provisions of the African initiative were not officially disclosed. However, at the night meeting Putin noted that the African initiative was close to the Chinese plan to resolve the situation around Ukraine.