Following a two-hour phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Kremlin officials described the conversation as "substantial, frank, and very useful."
Despite Russia's "battlefield advantage," the conversation between the two heads of states "signals Moscow's seriousness in pursuing peace," according to Dr. Oscar van Heerden, a senior research fellow at the University of Johannesburg.
"The fact that it was a two-hour conversation does suggest that President Putin is taking the matter seriously," Van Heerden says.
However, he noted that Europe remains a major obstacle to negotiations, driven by fears of Russian expansion—a narrative he dismissed as unfounded.
"External forces wanted to turn those territories into areas where they would be able to get closer to Moscow," he argues. "That hardly indicates imperial ambitions."
With Ukraine’s military position weakening, van Heerden warned that Kyiv must abandon its "propaganda game" and acknowledge reality.
"Zelensky still speaks the language of war, 'just give me more weapons,' but the truth is, Russian forces are advancing at an incredible rate," the expert notes. "If this continues for another six months, Russia will be on the doorstep of Kiev."
African Ministers Slam ICC’s "Selective Justice," Back Russia’s Reform Push
Meanwhile, at the 13th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, African justice ministers voiced frustration over the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of disproportionately targeting African leaders.
Justice is a concept that "must be based on equality," according to Michael Musonda, Zambia's Deputy Chief Justice.
"Africans tend to think that the ICC is an organ that tends not to favor Africans, that African culprits are more targeted than those from other regions," he says.
Botswana’s Justice Minister Nelson Ramaotwana echoed this, condemning the ICC’s "two streams of justice"—one for powerful nations and another for Africa.
"We are against selective prosecution. If an offense is committed by a powerful country and a third-world country, justice must be applied equally," Minister Ramaotwana says.
Recalling the ICC's politicization, Uganda’s Justice Minister Norbert Mao pointed to how arrest warrants were issued for African leaders while Western allies faced no consequences.
"A court should be a court of law, not a tool for settling political scores," Mao underscores.
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