ROME, June 18. /TASS/. The peace mission of African leaders on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis was a signal to the West pushing it toward changing its positions, an Italian expert told TASS on Sunday.

"[South African President] Cyril Ramaphosa is expanding the peacekeeping front. The African mission, where South Africa is playing a special role, clearly reflects the interest of BRICS nations in finding a solution to the crisis between the West and Russia. Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, China, as well as the Vatican City hope for the soonest resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. All of them are making their contribution, each one in its own way and in its national interests, into the establishment of a new multipolar world order," said Tiberio Graziani, President of Vision & Global Trends, an international think tank.

According to the expert, the African mission pursued one more significant goal. "Along with broadening of what can be called a peace front, the South African president’s visit first to Kiev and then to St. Petersburg is, as a matter of fact, is a message to the West. The mission’s members demonstrate that those who are committed to peace are not afraid of sanction. The blackmail with sanctions in a situation when more and more countries insist on the soonest settlement of the conflict risks to become a blunt weapon. Washington and London, as well as Brussels, Kiev, and Warsaw will have to change their strategy, and NATO s well. And we will see whether it happens after the [NATO] summit in Vilnius on July 11," he said.

The delegation, including President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of Senegal Macky Sall, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, special envoy for the president of the Republic of the Congo Florent Nsiba, and special envoy for the president of Uganda Ruhakana Rugunda, arrived in Kiev on a peacekeeping mission on Friday and after the meeting with Zelensky headed to St. Petersburg where it met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. Talks with the Russian side were held in various formats and addressed all key aspects of the Ukrainian crisis.