An African delegation of leaders heading to Ukraine and Russia this week to propose “confidence-building measures” to facilitate peace between the two countries, will make some proposals to Russian president Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
On May 22, the Associated Press reported that a delegation including presidents of South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia to visit Ukraine and Russia to “initiate a peace process” and discuss the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers.
Now, a Thursday, June 15 report by Reuters says a framework document of the proposed measures might include the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarusian territory, and a suspension of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
The group headed by Senegal’s President Macky Sall and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will arrive in Kyiv on June 16 and in Saint Petersburg on June 17, Reuters wrote, referring to an undisclosed framework document.
“The conflict, as well as the sanctions placed on Russia by major trading partners of the (African) Continent, have had an adverse effect on African economies and livelihoods,” the document said.
Ceasefire in Ukraine should be followed by negotiations between Russia and the West.
While most of the African countries have claimed neutrality in the war, Moscow has long nurtured good relations with the governments on the African continent.
In late May, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba set off on a diplomatic tour to Africa, seeking to win over African nations and promote President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace formula.