Explosions shook Kyiv as a group of five African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Azali Assoumani, African Union chairperson and President of the Union of Comoros, arrived in Ukraine as part of an African peace mission. The visit took an alarming turn as air raid sirens sounded, adding to the already tense atmosphere.
Amidst the explosions, the visiting leaders sought shelter in a bomb shelter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed his outrage on Twitter, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of launching a missile attack on Kyiv while African leaders were in the capital. Kuleba suggested that this act sends a message that Russia desires war rather than peace.
President Ramaphosa, along with Assoumani and leaders from Zambia, Senegal, and Egypt’s prime minister, is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday before traveling to Russia for talks with President Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Notably, Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Denis Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt were originally meant to join but withdrew and sent representatives instead.
The objective of the peace mission is to suggest “confidence-building measures” as an initial step towards mediation. A preliminary framework document obtained by Reuters outlines the mission’s goal of highlighting the significance of peace and facilitating diplomatic negotiations among the involved parties. The proposed measures encompass a potential Russian withdrawal, the elimination of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, and the temporary suspension of the execution of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin. Furthermore, the document stresses the necessity of a ceasefire, which would necessitate negotiations between Russia and Western nations.
The explosions in Kyiv coincide with a diplomatic standoff between South African officials and Polish authorities in Warsaw. Reports indicate that a charter plane carrying presidential security and journalists from Johannesburg to Warsaw encountered complications. President Ramaphosa had to proceed to Kyiv by train, while the plane remains stuck in Warsaw. A second charter plane, intended to transport the security team, did not arrive as scheduled, leading to tensions between South African and Polish authorities. General Wally Rhoode, head of Ramaphosa’s security, accused Polish authorities of “sabotage” and “racism,” expressing concerns for the president’s safety.
