THE French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna hailed in Pretoria today the “welcome” African peacekeeping mission to Russia and Ukraine, despite mixed results on the return of African leaders to the black continent.

A delegation consisting of several African heads of state, including Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Macky Sall (Senegal), Hakaide Hiselema (Zambia) and Azali Assoumani (Comoros and chairman of the African Union), as well as representatives of the Congo, the Uganda and Egypt, traveled late last week to Kiev and St. Petersburg.

African leaders had meetings with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian President Vladimir Putin, laying out a 10-point plan to end “the war.” These proposals mainly include “de-escalation on both sides”, the removal of obstacles to grain exports through the Black Sea and the “release of prisoners of war”.

The Ukrainian president rejected the offer of mediation, saying that “allowing a negotiation with Russia now, when the occupying forces are on our land, means freezing the war.” The Kremlin judged for its part that the plan presented by African diplomacy is “very difficult to implement”.

“Any peace effort is positive if it aims to restore the principles of the UN Charter, with this goal of a just and lasting peace,” Colonna said during a press conference in Pretoria, however, sidestepping questions from reporters about the South’s proximity Africa and Russia.

Pretoria has refused to condemn Moscow after the start of the war in Ukraine, saying it is neutral and wants to favor dialogue, which has upset several international partners.

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor denied at a joint press conference rumors that the African peace plan includes a proposal to cancel prosecutions against Putin: “There is no question,” she said.

An international arrest warrant has been issued against Putin for the war crime of “displacing” children from Ukraine during Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.

This arrest warrant worries Pretoria, which would have to arrest the Russian president if he sets foot on South African soil, as planned during the BRICS summit it will host in August.

Africa is being hit hard by rising food prices and the fallout from the Russian offensive on world trade.

Colonna also signed a “bilateral anti-corruption cooperation” agreement with South Africa during her visit. The agreement aims to train in the fight against cybercrime the special anti-corruption units of the southern African countries, in a regional school expected to be operational in early 2024. France has already trained 22 South African specialists under this program.