South African President names 10 necessary components to achieve peace in Ukraine

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa named 10 main "components" of the African Union's position on the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Source: Ramaphosa at a press conference in Kyiv after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reports Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "The main component that we brought here is that this war must be resolved, peace must be negotiated through diplomatic means."

Details: The next component, according to the president, is the need to de-escalate the conflict. "Today, during our visit, we heard missile strikes. Such activity does not work well for peace. Therefore, we are talking about the need for de-escalation on both sides so that peace finds a way to come through and resolve the situation," he said.

Ramaphosa went on to say that the sovereignty of states and peoples must be respected in accordance with the UN Charter.

Another component, he said, is the need for security guarantees for all countries.

The sixth component is that both countries must ensure the export of grain and fertilisers. The leader of South Africa noted that "one of the reasons for coming here was that Africa is also experiencing the negative consequences of this war. Our grain prices have increased, we also have a shortage of fertilisers, and their prices have increased."

The seventh main element is humanitarian issues – humanitarian support for those who are victims of war, who suffer. "We support this humanitarian aid," he said.

The eighth major component, the African leaders believe, is the mandatory exchange of prisoners, including the return of children.

The ninth component is the post-war reconstruction and assistance to victims of the war, the president stated.

Ramaphosa adds that the tenth component is "that during our discussions, President Zelenskyy said that we must go further, better interact with African countries".

Background: 

• On 16 June, a delegation from Africa including the leaders of South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and the Republic of Congo, arrived in Ukraine.
• They want to act as peacemakers between Russia and Ukraine, and to agree on increasing the supply of grain and fertilisers from these two countries to Africa.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised that peace negotiations with Russia are possible only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories.

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