South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the conflict in Ukraine must be brought to a conclusion.
On Saturday, while in St. Petersburg for a peace mission with six other African countries, Mr. Ramaphosa made these comments.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the visiting delegation that he would not negotiate with Russia as long as Russian troops remained on Ukrainian soil.
Mr. Putin informed the African heads of state that Ukraine had consistently rejected his overtures for dialogue.
At the St. Petersburg summit, Mr. Ramaphosa also demanded the return of war captives from both sides and urged Russia to return the children it had taken from their families.
As a result of Russia's takeover of Ukraine, hundreds of children were taken from their homes and Mr. Putin has been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Mr. Putin cut off the African group while they were calling for the repatriation of children to their families, saying that Russia was safeguarding them.
Babies and kids are special. We got them out of the danger zone and we saved their lives," he claimed. It has been reported by the United Nations that hundreds of Ukrainian children have been illegally taken to Russia.
Mr. Ramaphosa also urged Mr. Putin to resolve the conflict diplomatically, citing the continent of Africa as a potential casualty.
This war cannot last indefinitely. "At some point, all wars must be resolved and end," he remarked. And we have come to deliver the word that this conflict should be stopped in its tracks.
Because of the conflict, grain exports from Ukraine and fertilizer exports from Russia have been drastically reduced, which has had a disproportionately negative impact on African countries and increased global food poverty.
Although the Ukrainian conflict was the immediate cause of the food shortage, Russian President Vladimir Putin placed the blame on the West, saying that only 3% of the grain shipments allowed under a UN-sponsored accord to assure its safe transit via the Black Sea had gone to the world's poorest countries.
Russia's agricultural exports have been hampered, according to the country's constant complaints about Western sanctions. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, "so far what we were promised has not been done," so "there are no grounds for extending" the grain deal.
Mr. Putin lauded Africa's "balanced position" on the war, which Russia still refers to as a "special military operation."
South African, Egyptian, Senegalese, Congolese, Comoran, Zambian, and Ugandan delegates were chosen so that the African perspective on the crisis would be represented by a wide range of countries and perspectives.
It is generally thought that South Africa and Uganda are more pro-Russian, whereas Zambia and the Comoros are more pro-Western. As far as we can tell, Egypt, Senegal, and Congo-Brazzaville are all on the sidelines.
Most African nations view this as a clash between Russia and the West.
On Friday, the team met with Ukrainian authorities, where Mr. Ramaphosa warned that 1.2–1.3 billion people in Africa were feeling the effects of the conflict in Europe.
Air raid sirens rang throughout Kyiv after the leaders landed, which Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba saw as evidence that Mr. Putin desired "more war."
Mr. Zelensky told the team that helping secure the release of political prisoners being jailed in Russia would be "an important result of your mission."
Russian war casualty count
Ukraine at a glance: the counteroffensive's modest gains
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been rising as of late, and this meeting comes as Ukraine prepares to launch a counteroffensive near the region of Bakhmut.
Russia claims the counteroffensive was unsuccessful, while Ukraine says it has retaken 100 square kilometers of terrain in the south.