Zelenskyy meets with African countries’ delegation, discusses ways to achieve peace

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video of the meeting.

"All nations of the world deserve to live freely, with no one imposing their will by military or political means on them. But no one can consider their borders secure and people's safety guaranteed as long as Russia is trying to make aggression and theft of other people's lands a global norm. We need peace. During today's discussions with the delegation of African heads of state and high representatives, we stressed the importance of achieving a true and just peace, free from Russian blackmail and deception," the President wrote.

The delegation included President Azali Assoumani of the Union of the Comoros, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly of Egypt, and special representatives Florent Ntsiba from Congo and Ruhakana Rugunda from Uganda, representing their respective presidents.

The South African president had to take shelter due to a Russian missile attack on Kyiv,Reuters reports.

"A Reuters television crew saw the African leaders arriving in Kyiv in a convoy of cars and entering a hotel to use its air-raid shelter," the media writes.

It is known that the African delegation began its trip to Ukraine with a visit to Bucha, Kyiv region, to see firsthand the consequences of the atrocities committed by the Russian occupiers at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The President of South Africa announced his arrival in Ukraine on his official Twitter account.

"His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived at Nemishaeve Railway Station in Ukraine and is received by Ukraine's Special Envoy for Africa and the Middle East Ambassador Maksym Subko and South African Ambassador to Ukraine Mr Andre Groenewald," the statement reads.

As part of his participation in the African peacekeeping mission, Ramaphosa will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In the morning, police closed the central streets of Kyiv. This is a common practice before a visit by foreign leaders. Limited traffic causes jams in Kyiv

• On May 16, Cyril Ramaphosa, South African President said that African countries had proposed a "peace initiative" to help end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The White House noted that it should be agreed with the Ukrainian side and be based on the UN Charter.