"We would welcome any credible peace proposal put forward even by a third party or third parties," Kirby said at a briefing. "We would support any third party peace proposal as long as it can be seen as credible, enforceable and sustainable. And for those three things to be the case, it's got to be supported by President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."
Yesterday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, on behalf of six African countries, offered Putin and Zelensky a peace initiative aimed at settling the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating that the two leaders agreed to receive the mission and the African heads of state, in both Moscow and Kiev.
He also underlined that preparatory work and discussions aimed at the practical implementation of this initiative are currently under way. Asked about the timing, the President stressed "as soon as possible.
Ramaphosa mentioned that the Secretary General of the United Nations had been informed of the initiative, noting that Antonio Guterres had welcomed the commitment of African leaders to participate in the resolution of the conflict.
According to the South African president, the US and UK had also expressed "cautious" support for the plan.
Earlier, Ramaphosa said in a statement that since the beginning of the Russian special military in Ukraine, Pretoria has been under "extraordinary pressure" to abandon its neutral position and choose sides in the "competition between world powers."