Africa Peace Mission Goes to Ukraine, Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ruled out negotiations with Russia during a meeting with African leaders on a mission to broker peace, reports Al Jazeera.

The delegation met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv. He told them peace talks were only possible if Moscow withdrew its forces from Ukraine's sovereign territory.

Russian missiles were fired at Kyiv during the day, in the first attack on the capital during a visit by foreign leaders.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine conflict began on February 24, 2022 when Russia's President Vladimir Putin sent over 300,000 troops into Kyev in a bid to "demilitarise and denazify" the Ukraine, BBC reports.

Initially the peace delegation was made up of South Africa, Zambia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville, Uganda and Egypt. Currently, South Africa, Senegal and Zambia are in the forefront as the other nations seem to have withdrawn.

Meanwhile, Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had a seperate meeting with Putin on June 15, 2023, in which he thanked the Russian leader for accepting Algeria's mediation in the conflict.

Meanwhile, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa's security detail was stopped from disembarking in Poland as authorities there are attempting to disarm them.

The African leaders' talks with President Putin happened on June 17 in St Petersburg.

The war between Russia and the Ukraine saw the initial blockade of Ukraine's seaports which forced the country to halt nearly all deliveries of grain, which sparked concerns of a worldwide food crisis.

The world relies heavily on Russia and Ukraine for oil, wheat and other commodities. Africa has been hit by unprecedented food price hikes since the war between the two nations began.