Briefly: South Africa announced this week that a delegation of African leaders will travel to Moscow and Kyiv for peace talks. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will reportedly lead the group, which will include the leaders of Egypt, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia.
Many African leaders are well-placed to serve as mediators. They:
- 🏳️ Have stayed relatively neutral throughout the war, and
- 🌾 Their countries have felt the war’s impacts, including grain and energy shortages across the African continent.
In other words, they may have the will and the way to make a difference.
Intrigue’s take: But even the best-intentioned plans are doomed to fail if the conditions for peace aren’t there.
Still, local peace almost always requires global buy-in. So, the more the merrier.
Also worth noting:
- Beijing confirmed on Thursday that its new peace envoy met with Ukrainian President Zelensky during a two-day visit to Kyiv this week.
- G7 leaders will discuss a potential global peace summit during their talks in Japan over the weekend.
- Russia has reportedly agreed to extend a key deal allowing Ukraine to export crops via the Black Sea, according to Turkish officials.
