PRETORIA, May 16. /TASS/. A group of African countries is in the process of coordinating the terms and timeframes of its visit to Moscow and Kiev in order to lay out their Ukrainian reconciliation initiative, a spokesman for the South African President, Vincent Magwenya told TASS on Tuesday.
"The modalities of the trip are being worked on with both countries. It’s a group of African Heads of State. Further engagements will be held on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit," he said,
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that the governments of Russia and Ukraine had agreed to receive an African delegation, whose goal is to find a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict. He added that he had discussed the possibility with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, who agreed to receive the African delegation in Moscow and Kiev.
According to information, obtained by TASS in Pretoria, an African delegation comprising several heads of states may visit Russia and Ukraine even before the Russia-Africa summit begins in Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg in July.
Broad consultations
The peace initiative is being developed by the leaders of Egypt, Zambia, the Comoro Islands (who now hold the rotating presidency of the African Union), the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Uganda and South Africa. These countries are now trying to persuade UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and other countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, to support the African initiative. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had already informed US President Joe Biden about it. Officials in Pretoria say that Washington and London have signaled their "cautious support" for the peace plan.
On Tuesday, Ramaphosa expressed hope that the African initiative will be actively discussed by the parties involved. The main provisions of the plan have not yet been officially disclosed. However, according to information circulating in Pretoria, the document includes a provision on immediate ceasefire and designates the United Nations as the main platform for the Ukrainian peace process.