South Africa president informs Xi on African Russia-Ukraine peace plan

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has informed Chinese leader Xi Jinping about the upcoming visit by African leaders to Russia and Ukraine, with the aim of resolving hostilities.

The communication between the two leaders occurred during a phone call on Friday, as reported by Chinese state broadcaster. Ramaphosa briefed Xi on the peace plan proposed by China and expressed the African leaders’ support for initiatives focused on achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The presidency statement mentioned that President Xi Jinping commended the African continent’s initiative and acknowledged the detrimental impact the conflict has had on human lives and food security in Africa. As the war has displaced millions of people, led to rising food prices, and affected global prosperity, various peace proposals have emerged from different capitals.

In response to peace efforts from some members of the Global South, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made significant efforts to engage with countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Ukraine’s stated position for any peace agreement is the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory.

On May 16, President Ramaphosa announced an African peace plan, the specific details of which have not been disclosed to the public. This peace plan has received support from the leaders of Senegal, Uganda, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, and Zambia.

During their call on Friday, President Ramaphosa and President Xi also discussed the upcoming summit of emerging economies known as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), which is scheduled to be hosted by South Africa in August. South Africa has expressed its consideration of legal options if Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is subject to a war crimes arrest warrant related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, attends the BRICS summit.

As a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), South Africa would be obligated to arrest Putin if he were to attend the summit in Johannesburg.