PRETORIA, May 16. /TASS/. Russia and Ukraine’s authorities have consented to receive a delegation from African countries aiming to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said following his talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.

"The two leaders, President Putin and Zelensky, have agreed that this mission should be received," he said.

Ramaphosa said that the group of countries which set forth the initiative on settling the crisis in Ukraine includes Egypt, Zambia, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Uganda and South Africa. He did not specify the timeframe for this mission.

The South African leader pointed out that the Ukrainian crisis negatively impacts Africa because it triggered growing food and fuel prices. "A group of African heads of states took the view that Africa does need to put forward an initiative, a peace initiative, that could help to contribute to the solution of that conflict," he added.

On May 14, Ramaphosa said that during the May 12 phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, he informed him of the African leaders’ proposal of a ceasefire. Last Friday, the Kremlin press service reported that during the phone conversation, President Putin supported Ramaphosa’s idea of several African leaders participating in the Ukrainian settlement.

According to Singapore’s CABC radio station, last Saturday a phone conversation was held between Ramaphosa and Zelensky.