The United Nations says it would welcome any initiative that involves all parties towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Secretary General’s Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, was responding to a question by SABC News after calls between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts recently.
SABC News Correspondent Sherwin Bryce-Peace irons out all the details in the report below:
Late last week, South Africa’s President had a call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, and the Kremlin put out a statement afterwards, saying that President Putin supports President Ramaphosa’s idea of a group of African leaders discussing the prospects of settling the conflict in Ukraine, noting that Russia had never refused to work on a diplomatic track.
Since then, Ramaphosa has said that the UN remains the only viable mechanism through which the global community can strive for peace and common development.
Has there been any interaction between President Ramaphosa and the United Nations on this idea of Africa, possible African mediation? And what do you make of such a prospect, given the broader context in which the Secretary-General has said he does not believe that there is an immediate possibility for reaching a ceasefire now?
Dujarric says, “I’m not aware of any direct contact between President Ramaphosa and the Secretary General on this particular issue. I think any effort to bring peace to Ukraine that involves all of the parties to this conflict is to be welcomed. There is, I think the international community as a whole, every member state has a responsibility to do what they can to see an end to this conflict. In line with the charter, in line with General Assembly resolutions and in line with international law.”
Air raid
Meanwhile, Russia launched an exceptionally intense air attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, using drones, cruise and probably ballistic missiles, city officials said, as the Ukrainian capital suffered its eighth air raid this month.
“It was exceptional in its density – the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time,” Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, said in comments posted on the Telegram messaging app.
“According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected and destroyed!”
It was not immediately known how many objects were shot down over the city and if any of them managed to hit their target.
After a weeks-long hiatus, Russia in late April resumed its tactic of long-range missile strikes and has launched a flurry of attacks in recent days, often targeting Kyiv.
Ukraine has been able to repel the vast majority of the attacks so far. -Additional reporting by Reuters
