African leaders in Ukraine: explosions hit Kyiv as delegation begins peace mission
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Transcript
00:00 on a mission to mediate.
00:01 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
00:04 leading an African delegation in Ukraine
00:06 that includes heads of state from Senegal,
00:09 Zambia, the Comoros, and Egypt.
00:11 The group emphasized the importance of peace and stability
00:15 while touring the town of Butcha,
00:17 site of one of the biggest civilian massacres
00:19 by Russian forces during the war.
00:21 - We must protect lives,
00:23 Ukrainian lives, Russian lives, global lives.
00:29 That's important, so protect lives
00:32 and focus on development.
00:35 - The war has had a deep impact in Africa,
00:37 severely restricting the export of grain from Ukraine
00:40 and fertilizer from Russia,
00:42 intensifying global food insecurity.
00:45 The visit is a rare attempt at diplomatic intervention
00:48 outside the continent,
00:50 but it is unclear whether Russia
00:52 is at all open to mediation.
00:54 The leaders had to go to a hotel air raid shelter in Kyiv
00:57 when Ukraine says it downed a dozen Russian missiles
01:01 and two drones.
01:02 Several people were injured by falling debris,
01:04 including a child.
01:06 Ukraine's foreign minister wrote on Twitter,
01:08 "Russian missiles are a message to Africa.
01:11 "Russia wants more war, not peace."
01:14 But the delegation is undeterred.
01:16 They are set to hold talks with Russian President
01:19 Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday
01:22 and hope to leverage Moscow's desire
01:24 to gain influence in Africa to steer Putin toward peace.