(Moscow) The African mediation delegation on Saturday advocated the end of “the war” before Vladimir Putin, formulating proposals deemed “very difficult to implement” by the Kremlin, the day after the rejection of this initiative by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“War cannot last forever […]. We want this war to end,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, head of the delegation of African mediators, during a meeting with Mr. Putin in Saint Petersburg (northwestern Russia). ).
According to Mr. Ramaphosa, the African peace proposals can be summed up in 10 points, among which a “de-escalation on both sides”, the “recognition of the sovereignty” of the countries as recognized by the UN, the “security guarantees” for all parties, the lifting of obstacles to the export of cereals via the Black Sea, the “liberation of prisoners of war”, as well as reconstruction.
At the end of the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described this African plan as “very difficult to implement”.
However, “President Putin has expressed interest in examining it,” he said, quoted by Russian news agencies.
PHOTO VALENTYN OGIRENKO, REUTERS
From left to right: The African delegation includes ex-President of Uganda Ruhakana Rugunda, President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema, President of Senegal Macky Sall and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa.
The delegation included, in addition to Mr. Ramaphosa, three other presidents: Macky Sall (Senegal), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia) and Azali Assoumani (Comoros), current president of the African Union, as well as Congolese, Ugandan and Egyptian representatives.
Reconstruction
The reconstruction of Ukraine will be at the heart of the conference scheduled for London in the middle of the week and of which this will be the second edition since the start of the Russian invasion, after that which was held last year in Lugano in Switzerland.
Officials from more than 60 countries and hundreds of heads of major global companies are expected there on Wednesday and Thursday, the British government announced on Saturday.
“The reconstruction of the Ukrainian economy is as important as its military strategy,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, opening this meeting where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak by videoconference.
PHOTO SERGEI SUPINSKY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
More than a year after the start of the Russian offensive, the World Bank has assessed Ukraine’s immediate needs at $14 billion to repair the damage caused by the fighting.
But the recovery of the country’s economy will cost 441 billion dollars according to a recent study by the World Bank, the UN, the European Union and the Ukrainian government. A sum expected to increase with the continuation of the conflict.
“Continue the dialogue”
Another upcoming meeting is the Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for the end of July in Saint Petersburg and for which African leaders and Mr. Putin affirmed on Saturday “their political will to continue the dialogue”, declared Dmitri Peskov.
“We are open to constructive dialogue with those who want peace based on the principles of justice and taking into account the legitimate interests of the parties,” Putin told African leaders.
Africa is hard hit by the increase in food prices and the consequences of the Russian offensive on world trade. South Africa, however, refuses to condemn Russia for its aggression, and is criticized for its closeness to the Kremlin.
Russia, for its part, is trying to attract African leaders to its camp by claiming to stand up as a bulwark against imperialism and by accusing the West of blocking with its sanctions the exports of Russian cereals and fertilizers essential to the Africa.
The African delegation arrived in Russia the day after a trip to Kyiv where its members had, according to the African presidency, “constructive discussions” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who, however, rejected their proposals. .
“A deception” of Moscow
The latter rejected the African mediation offer, denouncing “a deception” by Moscow in the midst of a counter-offensive by its armed forces.
If Vladimir Putin said he was convinced on Friday that the Kyiv counter-offensive had “no chance” of succeeding, Ukraine, for its part, claims to have liberated a handful of localities and a hundred square kilometers, mainly on the front south.
PHOTO ANATOLII STEPANOV, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
A charred Russian armored vehicle stands next to a damaged house in the recently liberated village of Blahodatne in the Donetsk region on June 16.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, the toll from flooding caused by the destruction of a dam on the Dnieper River last week has worsened further.
In areas under Russian control, the death toll rose from 17 to 29, according to the head of the Russian occupation in the Kherson region, Andrei Alekseïenko. For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior now reports 16 dead and 31 missing. On June 12, the toll was 10 dead and 41 missing.
During the day on Saturday, Russian forces carried out 37 airstrikes and launched 19 rocket attacks via MLRS launchers, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
“The threat of missiles and airstrikes remains high throughout Ukraine as the enemy continues to concentrate efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Maryinka axes and intense battles continue,” the ministry said in a statement. communicated.
As Kyiv pushes to join NATO as soon as possible, US President Joe Biden has assured him in Washington that Ukraine will not receive preferential treatment for its NATO membership process.
The remarks come ahead of NATO’s next annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, to be held on July 11-12.