10- June-2023- News Agencies
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about the upcoming mission of African leaders to Russia and Ukraine to try for peace, said Pretoria.
Ramaphosa announced last month that Putin and Zelenskyy had agreed to host a six-member African delegation, which is expected to visit this month.
Ramaphosa briefs Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on African peace mission to Ukraine, Russia
Ramaphosa “briefed” Xi, the South African president said in a statement. The delegation includes the presidents of the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
His office did not specify when he spoke with Xi but said that the Chinese leader “praised the initiative of the African continent and acknowledged the impact of the conflict on human life and food security in Africa”.
Ramaphosa announced last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky had agreed to receive a six-member African delegation, expected to visit this month.
Ramaphosa “has briefed” Xi, the South African presidency said in a statement. The delegation will group the presidents of the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
His office did not specify when he spoke to Xi but said the Chinese leader “commended the initiative by the African continent and acknowledged the impact the conflict has had on human lives and on food security in Africa”.
In February, Beijing released a paper calling for a “political settlement” to the conflict, which Western countries warned could enable Russia to hold much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
China says it is a neutral party but it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive and for its close strategic partnership with Russia.
Similarly, South Africa’s ruling party which has close ties to the Kremlin since the anti-apartheid struggle years, has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it is impartial and prefers dialogue.
African countries have been badly hit by rising prices for grain since Russia invaded Ukraine — a major global source of wheat and other agriculture commodities — in February last year.
The war had also had a wider impact on world trade.
The peace mission comes as South Africa is looking to burnish its credentials following accusations that it has drifted towards the Kremlin.
South Africa is also faced with diplomatic dilemma ahead of a BRICS summit scheduled for August in Johannesburg.
Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children, has been invited to the summit.
As a member of the ICC, South Africa will be obliged to detain Putin on arrival.
The Xi and Ramaphosa talks also touched on preparations for the summit amid speculation that South Africa is considering moving the August meeting to China to avoid having to arrest Putin.
Both leaders “committed to work towards a successful summit,” said the statement.
BRICS groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and aims at counterbalancing the traditional dominance of Europe and the United States on the world stage.
France warns Iran on drone deliveries to Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi about the consequences of delivering drones to Russia, Macron’s office has said.
Macron in a telephone call underlined the serious “security and humanitarian consequences” of Iran’s drone deliveries “and urged Tehran to immediately end the support it thus gives to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine”, the Elysee said.
He also expressed concerns about the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear programme, the statement said.
Ukraine to receive $20m in humanitarian aid from UK
The UK has announced it will contribute 16 million pounds ($20.1m) to meet broad needs in Ukraine, particularly those affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka dam.
In response to escalating demands, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that the amount would assist civilians, including 32,000 people directly affected by flooding, as well as those on the front lines and displaced populations.
Additionally, the UK is supplying rescue boats, community water filters, water pumps, and waders, the statement said, and added that the equipment is slated to arrive in Ukraine next week.
Trudeau announces 500 million Canadian dollars in new military aid
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced new military aid for Ukraine during an unannounced trip to war-time Kyiv where he met Zelenskyy for talks.
“We will be there with [you] as much as it takes, for as long as it takes,” he said, sitting across from the Ukrainian leader in footage of the talks released by Kyiv authorities.
“Today, I can announce that we will provide 500 million [Canadian dollars (US$375m)] in new funding for military assistance,” he told reporters at the joint news conference.
Counteroffensive ‘a long game’: Defence and security expert
Patrick Bury, former NATO analyst and a defence and security expert at the University of Bath, has told Al Jazeera the Ukrainian counteroffensive is “a long game”.
“It’s highly unlikely that we’re going to see a rapid breakthrough like we saw in Kharkiv back in September, for example, where the Ukrainians were able to, with the help of allied intelligence, identify places where there were just exhausted and ruined Russian units and drove essentially past them and keep going. It’s not going to be like that,” Bury said.
“The Russians have had months to prepare significant offences and these are … defensive positions with trenches, bunkers, minefields, in particular, which are designed to channel attackers into killing zones. The Russian doctrine is of course to fall back through these defensive lines if they have to and then counterattack. Hence why we’re seeing reports of ‘Yes, the Ukrainians are taking this village’ and ‘Oh no, they’re being driven out.’ We totally expect this; it’s about taking the longer view