Explosions rang out across Kyiv as African leaders gathered in the city during a peacekeeping mission yesterday. Ukraine’s air-defence forces flew into action, but the explosions caused the destruction of several houses in Kyiv Oblast.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Senegal’s President Macky Sall were leading a delegation, along with Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and representatives from Uganda and the Republic of Congo (ROC). The delegation will also meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. The strike was viewed as a message from Russia that it wants more war, not peace. A proposal to resolve the situation includes withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine and tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspending the ICC arrest warrant for Putin, and relief of sanctions targeting Russia.

Africa is highly dependent on Russian and Ukrainian cooperation over the Black Sea grain deal, and may also propose an „unconditional grain and fertiliser deal” to address the food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Eastern Ukraine. Russia’s food and fertiliser exports are not under sanctions, but restrictions imposed by the West on payments, logistics, and insurance have created barriers to shipments. Putin has expressed his willingness to discuss the future of the grain deal with African leaders and emphasised Russia’s readiness to supply grain to the world’s poorest countries free of charge.

African countries have remained neutral on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Moscow has close ties with the continent. Ukraine has launched a foreign policy initiative to increase ties with Africa and plans to open new embassies this year to boost trade, find new markets, and counter Russia’s influence.

Despite the Russian attack, Ramaphosa said “[the mission] is going well and according to plan.”