MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the African Peace initiative mission has been published on the Kremlin website. The relevant document was released by South Africa on Thursday evening.

In a joint statement, the leaders noted progress on proposals discussed at their first meeting on June 17 on humanitarian issues, "in particular, related to the rights of children in areas of armed activities and prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, and agreed that humanitarian efforts would continue to bring further results."

"The leaders called for specific steps to remove obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports, thus allowing the resumption of the full implementation" of the grain deal, the document said. The sides also called on the UN to "take necessary action in order to release 200 thousand tons of Russian fertilizer blocked in European Union seaports for immediate and free delivery to African countries."

"The leaders agreed to continue their dialogue on the African Peace Initiative so that a door to peace can be opened," the statement said.

Putin held a meeting with participants in the African peace mission on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in late July. The meeting was attended by the leaders of Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Senegal, Uganda, South Africa, the president of the Comoros as chairman of the African Union, and the foreign minister of Zambia.

At the first round of talks with the African peace mission on June 17, Putin pointed out that Moscow did not refuse to negotiate with Kiev and that it was the Ukrainian authorities who abandoned the draft treaty initialed in Istanbul in March 2022. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that after the talks, the Russian side prepared its own draft declaration, which was handed over to the South African delegation before it left St. Petersburg.