Devendra Kumar
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to host a group of African leaders who traveled to Russia after their trip to Ukraine on a self-proclaimed “peace mission”. The delegation of seven African leaders, comprising the presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia, as well as the prime minister of Egypt and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda, visited Ukraine on Friday to help bring an end to the near 16-month-old war.
The African leaders arrived in St Petersburg on Saturday to meet Putin, who was attending a business forum in Russia’s second-largest city. The mission to Ukraine is the first of its kind undertaken by African leaders and carries significant importance for Africa, which heavily relies on food and fertilizer deliveries from Russia and Ukraine. The war has had a negative impact on Africa, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stating, “This conflict is affecting Africa negatively.” Ramaphosa emphasized the need to bring an end to the conflict, saying, “There is a need to bring this conflict to an end sooner rather than later.”
The African delegation, which represented a cross-section of views on the war, included South Africa, Senegal, and Uganda, who have all maintained a neutral stance on the conflict. In contrast, Egypt, Zambia, and Comoros voted against Russia in a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion. Many African nations have historically had close ties with Moscow, dating back to the Cold War era when the Soviet Union supported their anti-colonial struggles.
The meeting between the African leaders and Putin comes as Ukraine and Russia take sharply different stances on the conflict. Ukraine demands that Russia withdraw its troops from all occupied territories as a condition for peace talks, while the Kremlin wants Ukraine to recognize Crimea as part of Russia and acknowledge other land gains made by Moscow. China presented its own peace proposal in February, which was largely dismissed by Ukraine and its allies, as the warring sides remain far from reaching a ceasefire.
As the African peace mission culminates, Ukraine is launching a counter-offensive to dislodge Russian forces from occupied areas, using Western-supplied advanced weapons in attacks along the 600-mile front line. The outcome of the talks between Putin and the African leaders remains uncertain, but the visit underscores the significance of the conflict for international relations and global food security.