Kyiv

Two explosions rocked Kyiv on Friday after air raid sirens sounded and air defences were activated on the day African leaders landed in the capital city to initiate a peace process and mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

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Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on social media that there was an explosion in the central Podil district. "Missiles are still flying towards Kyiv," he said.

Reuters news agency reported that its correspondent saw a smoke trail of two missiles in the air. However, it is not clear if those missiles were fired by Russia or Ukraine.

Visuals aired by Reuters television purportedly showed the African leaders arriving in Kyiv in a convoy of cars and entering a hotel to use its air-raid shelter.

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The leaders had begun their visit with a trip to Bucha, near Kyiv, which is one of several places where Ukraine says Russian troops committed large-scale atrocities following their full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russia denies the allegations.

African delegation includes President Ramaphosa

The African peace mission, which includes South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Senegal President Macky Sall, is here to propose a series of “confidence-building measures” during initial efforts at mediation, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters.

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Ramaphosa, who is visiting Ukraine for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of the country, will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday before travelling to St. Petersburg on Saturday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the document, the objective of the mission is “to promote the importance of peace and to encourage the parties to agree to a diplomacy-led process of negotiations”.

Peace process

Among the proposed peace measures are a Russian troop pull-back, removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of the implementation of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin, and sanctions relief.

The document further calls for a cessation of hostilities agreement, which would be accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West.

The mission is being launched shortly after the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has pushed Russian forces back in some areas, though Kyiv has regained only a fraction of the territory Russian forces occupy in Ukraine.

Kyiv says its own peace initiative, which envisages the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian land, must be the basis for any settlement of the war.

(With inputs from agencies)

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