(a) Six African Heads of State, the President of South Africa, HE Mr CM Ramaphosa, HE Mr Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, H.E. Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Mr Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Mr Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, are scheduled to travel to Ukraine and Russia on a peace mission to meet with President Volodimyr Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin respectively. The initial high-level engagements will primarily be aimed at understanding the Ukrainian twelve-point plan and the Russian proposals. The African peace mission’s objective is not aimed at competing or disregarding any previous or current peace efforts such as the Chinese ten-point plan and the Turkish Istanbul talks, rather it hopes to complement these.
(b) President Zelensky met with the African Union through a video link on 20 June 2022 and that engagement laid the basis for the upcoming in-person meeting. Through this peace mission, Africa’s vision for peace will be presented to the two Presidents. President Zelensky and President Putin’s willingness to meet with the peace mission for the peace mission to listen to both sides, is a first inspirational step towards the envisaged negotiations.