Russian President Vladimir Putin will today host a group of African leaders who arrived in Russia on a self-proclaimed "peace mission" after they discussed it in Ukraine on Friday.
The presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as the Egyptian prime minister and envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda tried in Kiev to help end the war started by Russia.
African leaders have arrived in St. Petersburg where they will meet with President Putin, who is attending a business forum in that city.
The mission in Ukraine, the first of its kind launched by African leaders, comes after other peace initiatives, including those of China, and has particular significance for Africa, which relies on the supply of food and fertilizers from Russia and Ukraine. The war hampered the export of grain from one of the world's most important granaries.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters after African leaders' talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday that "this conflict has a negative impact on Africa."
"I believe that Ukrainians feel that they have to fight and not give up. The road to peace is very difficult, and there is a need to end this conflict as soon as possible".
Many African countries have close ties with Moscow dating back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union supported their anti-colonial struggle.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Comoros President Azali Asumani floated the idea of a "road map" to peace, prompting questions from President Zelenskiy who demanded an explanation and warned he did not want "any surprises" from their visit to Putin.
The chances for peace talks seem slim because Ukraine and Russia have diametrically different positions.
Ukraine demands that Russia withdraw its troops from all occupied territories as a condition for peace talks.
The Kremlin, on the other hand, wants Ukraine to recognize Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, as an integral part of Russia and to recognize its land gains made in the current war.
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