JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
According to a draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday, African leaders could propose a series of "confidence-building measures" during their initial efforts to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The document lists a number of
measures that could be proposed by the African leaders as part of the first
stage of their engagement with the warring parties.
Those measures could include a
Russian troop pull-back, removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus,
suspension of implementation of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant
targeting Putin and sanctions relief.
"The above-mentioned
measures should aim to facilitate the creation of an environment conducive for
a cease-fire, and that will allow the parties to build trust and to consider
formulating their peace restoration strategies," the document said.
A cessation of hostilities
agreement could follow and would need to be accompanied by negotiations between
Russia and the West, the document stated.
The framework document, which
has not been made public, states that the objective of the mission is "to
promote the importance of peace and to encourage the parties to agree to a
diplomacy-led process of negotiations."
A cessation of hostilities agreement could follow and would need to be accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West, the document added.
South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa is leading the African peace delegation, which also includes heads of
state from Zambia, the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal and Uganda.
Ramaphosa has today traveled
to Poland en route to Ukraine and Russia as part of an African peace mission,
his office said on Thursday.
Ramaphosa will meet with
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Ukraine on Friday and with Russian President
Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
The visit comes shortly after
Ukraine last week launched the main phase of a counteroffensive it hopes will
help liberate territory occupied by Russian forces in the south and east.
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