South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone about the impending peace mission to Russia and Ukraine by six African leaders.
“President Putin has welcomed the initiative by African heads of state and expressed his desire to receive the peace mission,” the South African presidency stated in a statement.
The African leaders involved met on Tuesday to “explore ways to bring the conflict to a close,” added the official release.
The other leaders in the peace bid are from the Comoros, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, and Senegal, and all confirmed they were willing to travel in mid-June, as stated in the press release from the presidency on Wednesday.
“The leaders agreed to work with both President Putin and President [Volodymyr] Zelensky on the elements of a regional cease-fire and lasting peace.”
Their foreign ministers were currently finalizing the elements of a peace road map, it said.
A Russia-Africa conference is also planned at the end of July in St Petersburg, confirmed by the presidency.