African leaders are currently in Europe to mediate in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. They are the latest leaders making attempts to resolve the lingering violence which has killed thousands of people since February last year.
In a statement on Thursday evening, the South African presidency said President Cyril Ramaphosa was on his way to participate in ''the African Peace Mission aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.''
The leaders of Zambia, the Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal and Uganda are also part of the African mission.
The South African presidency said President Ramaphosa was earlier in Poland along with other leaders and ''now proceeding to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for deliberations'' with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday as part of the African team.
Museveni absent
The delegation will then travel to St Petersburg, Russia, where they will ''engage with President Putin on Saturday.''
The president of Uganda who was supposed to be part of the delegation is being represented by Ruhakana Rugunda, a former prime minister. The 78-year-old president is said to be recovering from COVID-19.
“I was supposed to have joined them... I have now sent an official message that, on account of my continued corona (virus) status, I cannot join the group,” President Yoweri Museveni said in a statement on Twitter on Wednesday.
The African leaders are also expected to talk about more grain and fertiliser exports to the continent during the mission with South Africa restating that the African continent ''has felt the adverse economic impact of the conflict.''
Earlier on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was hoping for a positive outcome from Russian President Vladimir Putin's planned talks with African leaders on the future of the deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine.
