The visit of African representatives from 7 countries to Zelenskyy and putin is an unprecedented historical event. Learn about the purpose and results of the visit and what will change for Ukraine

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According to the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, African representatives have a "historic mission". There have been no cases in history when Africa has tried to influence the resolution of an armed conflict on another continent. 

But russian aggression has affected almost every country on Earth. Thus, the horrific terrorist attacks committed by the russian army and the deliberate provocation of artificial famine around the world are forcing leaders of other countries to take unprecedented steps.

Why is the visit of African leaders different from others: what is their personal interest?

russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has dealt a blow to African countries. They faced a sharp and significant increase in food, fertilizer and fuel prices, which led to a decline in the living standards of the local population and became the basis for social unrest. This is the main motivator for African peacekeepers (as they called themselves), because the war on another continent has affected their "home," and today moscow is also threatening to break the grain deal.

And this is what distinguishes the African initiative, for example, from China's peace proposals, whose main goal is to demonstrate its own greatness and attempt to split the collective West, as well as Brazil's peace plan, whose president is only concerned with the situation of his own country in an effort to become one of the leading geopolitical players in the world. After all, Africa has felt the impact of russian aggression.

Read more about which countries are actively promoting their own "peace formulas" for Ukraine here.

What do Africans offer?

As it became known on the eve of the African visit, their peace plan provides for the withdrawal of the russian army from Ukraine and tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions and the annulment of the arrest warrant for putin, which was previously issued by the International Criminal Court. And during a direct meeting in russia, the South African president announced a list of 10 points:

● mediation of African countries in the process of peaceful settlement of the conflict, which will lead to the end of hostilities;

● Africa's peace initiative does not compete with peace plans proposed by other countries;

● the beginning of negotiations between Ukraine and russia;

● de-escalation of hostilities;

● recognition of territorial borders and sovereignty of countries based on the UN Charter;

● providing security guarantees for both sides of the conflict;

● lifting restrictions on the operation of corridors supplying grain and raw materials through the Black Sea;

● humanitarian support for victims of armed aggression;

● exchange of "all for all" and return of Ukrainian children illegally taken by russia;

● post-conflict recovery of countries.

International experts are skeptical about the effectiveness and prospects of African proposals, as no one is ready to make concessions. At the same time, it is very important for Ukraine to gain the commitment of African leaders, which is why the number of representative visits by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Africa has increased in recent months. 

It should be noted that russia is also trying to gain support from the African continent, with Lavrov visiting southern countries on a similar mission. However, russia is not seeking to stabilize the food crisis in Africa, but to strengthen its own position in the world, as it has almost no "allies" left.

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Results of the African visit: putin's position

According to recent reports, during the visit of African representatives to russia, putin called the revolution that took place in Ukraine in 2014 the reason for his invasion, and also stated that russia allegedly had the right to recognize the autonomy of the "DPR" and "LPR" based on the UN Charter. 

putin called the forced and illegal removal of Ukrainian children "salvation," and even without concealing the fact of the abduction of minors, which was recognized as genocide worldwide, he said that russia acted to save them and ensure their safety.

putin also denied any involvement in the rise in food prices around the world. According to him, the US and the EU, as well as the issuance of the euro and dollar, are to blame for the deterioration. Moreover, the russian dictator emphasized that Ukrainian grain will not save the world from hunger and poverty.

What will change for Ukraine after the African visit?

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the African delegation saw with their own eyes who really wants peace, because in Ukraine they discussed the points of the plan proposed by African countries, while during the visit to russia they only talked about the war and the consequences of the russian invasion. 

At the same time, the President of Ukraine emphasized that the state does not accept any alternative peace agreements that would contradict the peace plan that Ukraine has already proposed.

It is also known that Zelenskyy invited Africa to the Global Peace Summit and noted russia's disregard for the safety of the African delegation due to the missile attack on Kyiv during their visit.

So far, no peace agreements have been adopted, but Ukraine has the opportunity to enlist the support of African countries that have personally seen the hypocrisy and meanness of russia. We hope that the visit of the African leaders will be a new step in the cooperation between the states, and at the same time will contribute to furthering russia's isolation in the international arena.

We remind you! After the war is over, Ukraine will have to rebuild and restore the destroyed infrastructure. Read our previous article to find out what Ukrainians consider to be the most important things in reconstruction and what concerns they have.

Photo: Associated Press

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