Zelenskyy urges African leaders to ask Putin to liberate political prisoners
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged a group of African leaders to ask Vladimir Putin to free political prisoners.
The presidents of Zambia, Senegal, Comoros, South Africa and Egypt’s prime minister are there, alongside senior officials from Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville.
They are expected to travel to Russia for a meeting with President Putin on Saturday in St Petersburg.
Missile attack on Kyiv is ‘message to Africa’ – Ukraine war latest
After meeting the delegation, Mr Zelenskyy reiterated that peace talks would only be possible when Russia pulls out of occupied areas.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the leaders were “here to share the African perspective” as he urged a de-escalation on both sides and said the sovereignty of countries should be respected.
The mission to Ukraine, the first of its kind by African leaders, comes in the wake of other peace initiatives such as one by China, and it carried extra importance for the African countries, as they rely in varying degrees on food and fertiliser deliveries from Russia and Ukraine.
Pic: AP
“This conflict is affecting Africa negatively,” Mr Ramaphosa said at a news conference alongside Mr Zelenskyy and the four other African heads of state or government, after the leaders met for closed-door talks on Friday afternoon.
He and others acknowledged the intensity of the fight and the animosity between Russia and Ukraine, but insisted all wars must come to an end – and that the delegation wants to help expedite that.
“I do believe that Ukrainians feel that they must fight and not give up. The road to peace is very hard,” Mr Ramaphosa said, adding that “there is a need to bring this conflict to an end sooner rather than later”.
He also called for more prisoner swaps and said displaced children should be returned to their homes.
Many African nations have long had close ties with Moscow, dating back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union supported their anti-colonial struggles.
South Africa, Senegal and Uganda have avoided censuring Moscow for the conflict, while Egypt, Zambia and Comoros voted against Russia last year in a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion.
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Putin’s Africa play explained
The mood of the news conference soured when Comoros President Azali Assoumani floated the idea of a “road map” to peace, prompting questions from Mr Zelenskyy who sought a clarification and insisted he did not want “any surprises” from their visit to Mr Putin.
Mr Zelenskyy then urged them to help free political prisoners from Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
“Would you please ask Russia to liberate the political prisoners?” Mr Zelenskyy said. “Maybe this will be an important result of your mission, of your ‘road map’.”
The Ukrainian president expressed some frustration about their trip St Petersburg, saying they would have “conversations with the terrorists” on Saturday.
However, he added that he wanted to hold a Ukraine-Africa summit and hoped to have closer relations with the continent.
Earlier, the delegation placed candles at a mass grave near St Andrew’s Church in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv.
The presidents of Zambia, Senegal, Comoros, South Africa and Egypt’s PM (L-R) visited Bucha
Bucha is the site of one of the worst-known massacres of the war, with Russian troops killing hundreds of civilians there last year.
An air raid siren also rang out during the group’s visit to Kyiv and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said an explosion had been reported in the Podilskiy district.
“Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace,” tweeted Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The Ukrainian air force said it downed six Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, six Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles and two reconnaissance drones – but did not say where they were destroyed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Cyril Ramaphosa
Peace is not the only matter on the agenda for the African leaders, however.
Officials also want to examine how Russia can be paid for fertiliser exports it desperately needs – despite sanctions against Moscow.
They are also looking at getting more vital grain shipments out of Ukraine.
Mr Ramaphosa said after his meeting with Mr Zelenskyy that there should be an opening up of logistics for both grain and fertiliser.
The delegation appear to have split allegiances, however.
South Africa, Senegal and Uganda have avoided criticising Moscow; while Zambia, Egypt and Comoros last year voted against Russia in a UN resolution condemning the invasion.
“Life is universal, and we must protect lives – Ukrainian lives, Russian lives, global lives,” said Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on the Ukraine visit.
“Instability anywhere is instability everywhere.”
US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested Israel and Hamas could agree a Gaza ceasefire by the end of the week.
Talks between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, after US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was “on the brink” on Monday.
A draft agreement has been sent to both sides. It includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” yet to a ceasefire deal.
Two Hamas officials said the group has accepted the draft agreement, with Israel still considering the deal.
An Israeli official said a deal is close but “we are not there” yet.
More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Read more:
What’s in the proposed deal?
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Biden hails possibility of agreement
President Biden said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians, in his final foreign policy speech as president.
“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.
“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”
Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting.
Analysis:
Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions
Pic: Reuters
Trump: ‘We’re very close’
President-elect Donald Trump has also discussed a possible peace deal during a phone interview with the Newsmax channel.
“We’re very close to getting it done and they have to get it done,” he said.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble, like they have never seen before.
“And they will get it done. And I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place, it has to take place.”
Read more:
Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden
Donald Trump’s inauguration 2.0
Pic: AP
Israeli official: Former Hamas leader held up deal
Speaking on Tuesday as negotiations resumed in Qatar, an anonymous Israeli official said that an agreement was “close, but we are not there”.
They accused Hamas of previously “dictating, not negotiating” but said this has changed in the last few weeks.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main obstacle for a deal,” they added.
Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks, led Hamas following the assassination of his predecessor but was himself killed in October last year.
Under Sinwar, the Israeli official claimed, Hamas was “not in a rush” to bring a hostage deal but this has changed since his death and since the IDF “started to dismantle the Shia axis”.
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Biden: ‘Never, never, never, ever give up’
Iran ‘weaker than it’s been in decades’
Yesterday, President Biden also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.
“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” the president said.
Mr Biden claimed America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.
“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker,” he said.
“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The US president is expected to give a farewell address on Wednesday.
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza.
President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was “on the brink” and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire.
It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold photos of their loved ones during a protest on 8 January. Pic: AP
Hostages to be returned
In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free.
These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas.
In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian “terrorists” from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said.
Read more:
A timeline of events since the 7 October attacks
The hostages who still haven’t returned home
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
The agreement also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
Security arrangements would be implemented at the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza – with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza would start to work gradually to allow the crossing of people who are sick and other humanitarian cases out of Gaza for treatment.
Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed to return to their homes, with a mechanism introduced to ensure no weapons are moved there.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages are back home,” the Israeli official said.
What will happen to Gaza in the future?
There is less detail about the future of Gaza – from how it will be governed, to any guarantees that this agreement will bring a permanent end to the war.
“The only thing that can answer for now is that we are ready for a ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
“This is a long ceasefire and the deal that is being discussed right now is for a long one. There is a big price for releasing the hostages and we are ready to pay this price.”
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but there has not been a consensus about how this should be done – and the draft ceasefire agreement does not seem to address this either.
In the past, Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It also previously rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governing powers in the West Bank, from taking over the administration of Gaza.
Since the beginning of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has also said it would retain security control over the territory after the fighting ends.
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