African leaders meet with Putin seeking 'road to peace'

African leaders hoping to mediate in the Ukraine war met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg Saturday.

The delegation aims to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table despite both of them playing down the possibility.

Many African countries have been impacted by the Ukraine war, well into its second year, in particular with grain prices soaring.

A statement released by the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed his arrival in St. Petersburg, alongside the leaders of Zambia, the Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal, and Uganda.

The delegation is "seeking a road to peace to the 16 months long conflict between Ukraine and Russia which has thus caused devastating economic impact, loss of life and global instability," the statement said.

The leaders visited Kyiv on Friday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

They were initially greeted with explosions and forced to take shelter in bunkers as Russian airstrikes hit the capital.