South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, has announced that the main points of the program for the visit of African leaders to Ukraine are essentially ready, with preparations for a Russia visit nearing completion. The news comes as African leaders look to strengthen diplomatic ties and facilitate dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
In a video posted on the South African Government’s news portal’s Twitter page, Pandor stated, “We have indeed the main features of the program in relation to the Ukrainian part of the visit, and we are completing the Russian part.”
The Director-General of South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zain Dangor, previously revealed that the country’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and leaders of the five African countries – Comoros, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia – will be visiting Moscow and Kiev in June.
Jean Yves Olivier, the mission’s initiator and founder of the Brazzaville Foundation, stated that the primary objective of the African countries’ mission in Ukraine is to instigate and assist in establishing dialogue between the two countries. He pointed out that the negotiations via the African countries’ mission would be conducted without preconditions, noting that this mission is the first of its kind that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have agreed to accept.
Moscow has repeatedly indicated its readiness for negotiations, while Kiev has legislatively imposed a ban on such negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously stated in front of the G20 group that there would be no “Minsk-3”.
The Kremlin’s official spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, pointed out that such words “fully confirm” Kiev’s stance on not wanting to negotiate. Meanwhile, the West continuously calls Russia for negotiations, while Moscow demonstrates its readiness, and the West ignores Kiev’s continuous refusal to negotiate.
This news of an impending visit by African leaders to Ukraine and Russia holds significant promise for potential diplomatic breakthroughs in the region.
