16th June, 2023
No less than two explosions shook Kyiv on Friday, as African leaders began a peace mission in the hope of mediating between Ukraine and Russia.
The African delegation, which includes leaders from South Africa, Senegal, the Comoros, and Egypt, is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
In central Kyiv, witnesses reported hearing two explosions.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko also reported blasts in the central Podil neighbourhood and warned that additional missiles were on their way to the capital.
Another source witnessed the smoke trail left by two missiles in the air. It was unclear whether the missiles were launched by Russia or Ukrainian air defences.
The African leaders were seen arriving in Kyiv in a column of automobiles and entering a hotel to utilise its air raid bunker.
They began their visit in Bucha, near Kyiv, where Ukraine claims Russian troops committed large-scale atrocities following their full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russia disputes the charges.
According to reports, the African peace mission, which includes South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Senegalese President Macky Sall, may suggest a series of “confidence-building measures” during the initial mediation sessions.
The mission’s stated goal is “to promote the importance of peace and to encourage the parties to agree to a diplomacy-led process of negotiations.”
These actions might include a Russian troop withdrawal, the removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, the postponement of the implementation of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin, and sanctions relief.
Meanwhile, Kyiv insists that any peace settlement must be based on its own peace plan, which calls for the evacuation of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.
Reuters