Petersburg (dpa) – During their visit to St. In St. Petersburg, representatives of several African countries asked Russia to negotiate with Ukraine. “We want to encourage you to start negotiations with Ukraine,” said the head of the African Union and President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, according to the Interfax news agency at a meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “We believe that the time has come for both sides to start negotiations and end this war.”

According to the delegation, which also included representatives from Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, Republic of the Congo and Uganda, it had drawn up a ten-point plan as part of its peace initiative. However, after nearly 16 months of Russia’s war of aggression, hopes of success are slim. Prior to their visit to St. In St. Petersburg, the delegation visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev on Friday.

Putin, who ordered the invasion of the neighboring country on February 24, 2022, again blamed Ukraine for the fact that there were currently no peace negotiations. Kiev, on the other hand, has repeatedly made it clear that the withdrawal of the Russian occupying forces is a condition for talks. But Russia insists on recognizing some of Ukraine’s illegally annexed territories as Russia.

For African countries, ending the war is in their own interest

Many African countries suffered greatly from the war in Ukraine because they depended on exports of grain and fertilizer from Russia and Ukraine. South African President Ramaphosa has now demanded that all obstacles to an internationally mediated grain agreement be removed.

Russia, on the other hand, is currently heavily reliant on good contacts with African countries due to the departure of its former Western partners. The summit of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in August in South Africa is also eagerly awaited, where Putin is also invited: because he is now being wanted on an international arrest warrant for him. aggressive war, he’ll be there in danger of being arrested.

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