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.”
Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.
Speaking with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.
“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
Pic: Reuters
It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “very good conversation” with Mr Trump late on Monday. He thanked him for the “willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings”.
Weapons being sent from to Ukraine include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which the country has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.
Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.
The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.
Mr Zelenskyy previously criticised Vladimir Putin’s “desire to drag [the war] out”, and said Kyiv was “working on major defence agreements with America”.
It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump over Mr Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.
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Trump threatens Russia with ‘severe’ tariffs’
During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call”, but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.
“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.
Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Mr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.
After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”
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Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskyy met with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv, where they “discussed the path to peace” by “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe”.
He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.
Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.
Speaking with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.
“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States,” he added, “going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”
Weapons being sent include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which Ukraine has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.
Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.
The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.
It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump against Vladimir Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.
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Trump says Putin ‘talks nice and then bombs everybody’
During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call,” but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.
“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.
Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.
After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”
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Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskyy met with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv, where they “discussed the path to peace” by “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe”.
He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.
At least 30 people have been killed in the Syrian city of Sweida in clashes between local military groups and tribes, according to Syria’s interior ministry.
Officials say initial figures suggest around 100 people have also been injured in the city, where the Druze faith is one of the major religious groups.
The interior ministry said its forces will directly intervene to resolve the conflict, which the Reuters news agency said involved fighting between Druze gunmen and Bedouin Sunni tribes.
It marks the latest episode of sectarian violence in Syria, where fears among minority groups have increased since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.
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In March, Sky’s Stuart Ramsay described escalating violence within Syria
The violence reportedly erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida.
Last April, Sunni militia clashed with armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, and fighting later spread to another district near the capital.
But this is the first time the fighting has been reported inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports the fighting was centred in the Maqwas neighbourhood east of Sweida and villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city.
It adds that Syria’s Ministry of Defence has deployed military convoys to the area.
Western nations, including the US and UK, have been increasingly moving towards normalising relations with Syria.
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UK aims to build relationship with Syria
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Concerns among minority groups have intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists.
That was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.
The city of Sweida is in southern Syria, about 24 miles (38km) north of the border with Jordan.
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