A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of African countries representing the continent's peace mission on the Ukrainian settlement has been published on the Kremlin website.
Earlier, on Thursday evening, the document was published by the authorities of South Africa.
In particular, the statement highlighted the progress made on the humanitarian aspects of the initiative, including the rights of children in combat zones and prisoner exchanges.
"The Leaders recognized progress achieved since then on proposals they discussed at the first meeting on 17 June 2023 on humanitarian issues, in particular, related to the rights of children in areas of armed activities and prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, and agreed that humanitarian efforts would continue to bring further results," read the statement.
The parties also called for the removal of obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertilizers, as the country's agricultural exports were blocked in the EU seaports due to the sanctions imposed by the West in response to the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
According to the statement, the leaders urged the United Nations to take necessary steps to release 200,000 tons of Russian fertilizer blocked in the ports for immediate and free delivery to African countries.
"The Leaders called for specific steps to remove obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports, thus allowing the resumption of the full implementation of the Black Sea package initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General as endorsed on 22 July 2022 in Istanbul," the statement said.
On July 28, in St. Petersburg, President Putin and the leaders of the seven countries representing the African Peace Initiative continued the discussion on the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, which started on June 17.
African leaders attending the second meeting were President Azali Assoumani of the Union of the Comoros in his capacity as Chair of the African Union, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Senegalese President Масkу Sall, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Zambia, Stanley Kakubo.
In the joint statement, following the negotiations, the leaders reiterated their commitment "to continue their dialogue on the African Peace Initiative so that a door to peace can be opened."
The African Peace Initiative to resolve the conflict in Ukraine was presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16 and 17, respectively. On behalf of the African delegation, President Ramaphosa outlined a plan of 10 principles to lay the foundation for the peace process in Ukraine.
These included security guarantees, grain supplies across the Black Sea, the release of prisoners of war and the start of peace negotiations.