Negotiations on the line of the mission of African countries on the Ukrainian conflict will be held without preconditions, and any media reports to the contrary, including an article in the magazine Jeune Afrique, are unreliable, the founder of the Brazzaville Foundation and the initiator of the mission, Jean-Yves Ollivier, told Sputnik.
"I saw some article on the news that there are pre-conditions. They are not correct, there are no pre-conditions. I can assure you. Of course as I said, and Jeune Afrique mentioned, what I said, I think, we hope not to get back empty-handed. Those people are not going to spare four days, because it is the minimum to do the two countries, and go back to their cities empty-handed," said Ollivier. "We really sincerely hope we will get some results out of these visits, if not we wouldn't do it."
Earlier this week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on behalf of African countries and presented them with a peace initiative for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict on behalf of Zambia, Senegal, Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa.
On Thursday, during a joint press conference with visiting Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said an African mission with a peace initiative on Ukraine plans to visit Russia in mid-June or early July.
Consequently, French news outlet Jeune Afrique claimed that a ceasefire in Ukraine is a precondition for the African peace initiative.
The founder of the Brazzaville Foundation, which is an independent organization that focuses on developing initiatives, primarily in Africa, in the areas of conflict prevention and resolution, added that the mission of African countries on Ukraine includes the leaders of pro-Russian, pro-Western and neutral states to guarantee a balanced approach.
"We want this delegation to have what we would call an 'equilibrium:' we are talking about two countries that are renowned for being close to Russia, two countries which are known for their neutrality, Congo-Brazzaville and Egypt, and one country which is backing the regime in Ukraine, which is Zambia, and one country which is closer to the West and was the President of the African Union when we started these activities — Senegal. This is what led our choice," Ollivier said.
The main goal of the mission is to help establish a dialogue between the two fighting sides, he added, arguing that Africa considers itself a victim of conflict occurring outside the continent, and this has prompted the continent's leaders to engage in its settlement.
The African official noted that the African peace mission is the first of its kind that both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian leader Zelensky have agreed to accept.
"This is the first time that both heads of state, President Putin and President Zelensky, have accepted to receive a delegation, whose trip is specifically to discuss peace. This has never happened before," Ollivier said.
So far, China has proposed its peace plan on the settlement of the Ukraine conflict. In February, Beijing released a 12-point document titled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," calling for respect for the sovereignty of all countries, a cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
On Thursday, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, announced that Beijing welcomed plans for six African leaders to visit Russia and Ukraine soon to promote peace amid the ongoing conflict between the countries.
"We welcome the fact that six African leaders plan to visit Russia and Ukraine shortly to promote ceasefire and a cessation of war," Geng said during a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Ukraine.
In April, media reported that French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to secure China's help and advance a plan that could lead to peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Moscow did not receive any messages from Paris regarding its peace plan for Ukraine and was still not aware of the existence of such an initiative.
In November 2022, Zelensky presented his peace plan during the G20 summit, which consisted of 10 clauses, including calling for his country's nuclear, supply and energy safety guarantees, exchange of captives in all-for-all format, and the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity. The Ukrainian leader also requested safety guarantees for himself and suggested the creation of an international tool that would allow using Russian assets to compensate Ukraine for the damages.