Meanwhile half of the African heads of state — three out of the original six — who comprised the peace mission did not travel to Eastern Europe for the meeting with Ukraine’s Zelensky.
The security personnel were supposed to be deployed to ensure Ramaphosa’s safety during his visit to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.But a second charter plane, that was apparently supposed to take the security team to a rendezvous with the president in the south of Poland before he travelled to Kyiv, never arrived to pick up the South Africans upon their arrival at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport.It is also unclear what the cost of that plane is.
Business Day earlier reported that the logistical challenges in the “multimillion rand” mission could prevent the placement of advance teams at various spots in Eastern Europe while Ramaphosa is here.Counteroffensive still to reach heavily fortified Russian positions – war of attrition looms Russia appears to have focused much of its efforts in setting up defences that will prevent Ukraine from cutting off the land bridge established by Russia early in the war, linking Crimea – an area annexed in 2014.
While the overall success of the delegation's first visit to the negotiation table may be difficult to measure, for Ramaphosa, it will hinge on whether or not he can convince Putin not to come to South Africa in person for the BRICS Summit in August. How the conversation goes for Ramaphosa should be a strong indication for him whether Russia values South Africa as an ally at all.Ukraine wants peace, but on its own terms - a challenge for any delegation
Russia has unlawfully invaded its neighbour, and many hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians have perished. Both sides are determined, with Putin increasingly under pressure amid intense squabbling in his military, and heavy losses on the battlefield. Poland, a middle income country of 37 million, has been the main access point for foreign heads of state visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv since Russia invaded the country on 24 February 2022.
During the Cold War counties aligned to the Soviet Union signed the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defence agreement designed as a counterweight to NATO countries.
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