Heads of state and senior officials from seven African countries, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, will meet with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday to present a peace proposal. The delegation held talks in Kyiv a day earlier with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who told them Ukraine “won’t achieve diplomacy with Russia while they are on our territory.” Russia and Ukraine are vying for backing from Africa, which along with the rest of the developing world has been disproportion
(Bloomberg) — Heads of state and senior officials from seven African countries, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, will meet with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday to present a peace proposal. The delegation held talks in Kyiv a day earlier with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who told them Ukraine “won’t achieve diplomacy with Russia while they are on our territory.” Russia and Ukraine are vying for backing from Africa, which along with the rest of the developing world has been disproportionately impacted by the war and related disruptions to food supplies. About half of Africa’s 55 nations have supported UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion; others have sought to remain non-aligned.
Kyiv’s troops made gains on at least three fronts on Friday as they press on with what’s expected to be a lengthy counteroffensive in the east and south. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Mailer said Ukraine had advanced as much as 2 kilometers in the south; Russia hasn’t commented. Ukraine’s defense ministry repeated its urgent call for high-precision, long-range weapons. Separately, Zelenskiy told NBC that Ukraine isn’t “asking for spaceships” as it presses for the fast delivery of fighter jets.
Putin confirmed that Russia’s followed through on a plan announced in March to transfer tactical nuclear warheads to neighboring Belarus for storage, a move decried by opposition leaders in the Russian ally. Russia’s president also said he sees no need to use nuclear arms for now.
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