Ukraine war: failed African peace mission underscores need for more powerful political and military pressure on Putin
Led by South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, the delegation included leaders and senior officials from Congo-Brazzaville, Comoros, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia.
- Led by South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, the delegation included leaders and senior officials from Congo-Brazzaville, Comoros, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia.
- Their plan was based on establishing a ceasefire “through negotiations and diplomatic means”.
- An earlier initiative by the Vatican was rejected by Zelensky immediately after his meeting with Pope Francis on May 13.
The China card
- Officially announced on February 24 2023, the first anniversary of the invasion, western leaders were not particularly enthusiastic – but did not reject it out of hand either.
- Zelensky signalled cautious optimism about China’s engagement in mediation after his hour-long phone call with Xi at the end of April.
West still favour’s Kyiv plan
- The western favourite, so far, remains the Ukrainian peace plan.
- This was first presented as a five-point plan by Zelensky at the UN General Assembly meeting in September 2022.
- Then, and also at the May 2023 G7 summit in Hiroshima, Zelensky proposed further discussions at a global peace summit.
Mutual distrust
- Notwithstanding these problems, pressure on both sides to start negotiating an end to the war will continue to grow.
- The African peace mission was significantly motivated by the fact that the countries on the continent have massively suffered from the economic consequences of the war.
- These are extremely important engagements because they create incentives for Beijing not to throw its full weight behind Moscow.
- The more successful Ukraine’s counteroffensive, the stronger its position in the run-up to negotiations and at the negotiation table.