Seven African leaders are traveling to Ukraine and Russia on a peace mission, hoping to bring the war there closer to an end.
The delegation from South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville, Comoros, Zambia, and Uganda is meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa offered no timeline or proposals when he made the announcement last month, joining a crowded field of would-be peacemakers that includes China, Turkey, and the Pope.
The war has severely restricted the export of grain from Ukraine and fertilizers from Russia, intensifying global food insecurity. Africa, which depends on imports of both, has suffered the most.
The African leaders would seek to persuade the Russians to extend the fragile agreement that allows Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea. And it will urge Kyiv to help find ways to ease restrictions on the export of Russian fertilizers currently being held up in ports.
Many African states have maintained a non-aligned position, a stance the US acknowledges is rooted in the history of the Cold War and does not necessarily mean support for Moscow.
Although neither Russia nor Ukraine has shown any interest in peace talks, both have an interest in this visit.
Moscow has been cultivating influence in Africa as a counterweight to the West and is hoping to showcase that in a Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg next month.
Ukraine has been trying to catch up on African diplomacy from a standing start. It recently sent its foreign minister to the continent to plead its case and would welcome another chance to do so.
Analysts see the summit as an important indicator of Africa’s relations with Russia, but not an ideological one.