There are always international initiatives to persuade the parties to the Ukraine war to negotiate. Now heads of state from Africa were visiting Putin. Could they make a difference?
After the talks between Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and several African presidents, Western experts continue to see no real interest on the part of Russia in ending the war against Ukraine. As with every previous peace initiative, the Kremlin will probably use the African proposal to obstruct Western aid to Ukraine, according to the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) in Washington. Russia shows no intention of actually entering into a peace process. The delegation, led by South Africa, called on Putin to hold peace talks in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
Even after previous advances – from China and Brazil, for example – for an end to the war, Russia had shown itself to be open to negotiations in principle. At the meeting in St. Petersburg, however, Putin again accused Ukraine of preventing a solution. The ISW speaks of a “false willingness” on the part of Russia for such talks. Rather, Moscow is concerned with unsettling the West and weakening military support for Ukraine. At the same time, Russia wants to use the contacts to Africa to expand cooperation with the states there, it said.
African Union leader Azali Assoumani said at the talks that peace in Ukraine is also important for international food and energy security. The African states are also campaigning for the extension of the agreement on shipping Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. Moscow is threatening an end in July because the West is impeding the export of Russian food and Russian fertilizer.
ISW
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
