Ramaphosa Talks Up African Peace Plan After Issue Plagued Ukraine Trip

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended a peace proposal presented by a delegation of African leaders to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following a Ukraine trip plagued by issues, including a dispute with Polish authorities over the security.

• Ramaphosa: "There should be peace, through negotiations and diplomatic means... we believe that this war should be brought to an end as quickly as possible... We argue that there must be de-escalation on both sides, so that peace can find a way to resolve the problem."
• Ramaphosa: "We recognise the sovereignty of nations and countries in accordance with the UN charter that must be respected."
• Zelensky appeared to nix the prospect to talks shortly after meeting the African delegation, saying: "Any talks with Russia now means freezing the war."
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier today: "I welcome the fact that African leaders have visited Kyiv and I think it is important to know that there are different efforts to find a solution."
• The African delegation will now head to Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin where Ramaphosa says discussions will be about "respect for the UN charter."