INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
South Africa's president arrived in Saint Petersburg, Russia on Saturday ahead of talks headed by an African delegation pushing for
Petersburg "follows constructive discussions with [Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky," the South African presidency said.The
delegation will "meet [Russian] President Vladimir Putin to seek a road to peace to [end] the 16 months-long conflict [that's] caused
devastating economic impact, loss of life and global instability".The mission includes four presidents: Ramaphosa, Senegal's Macky Sall,
Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema and Comoros' Azali Assoumani, who also currently heads the African Union.The leaders of Uganda, Egypt and
Congo-Brazzaville pulled out of the visit at the last moment and sent representatives instead.Efforts to secure peace appear increasingly
perilous, analysts told AFP, with both Kyiv and Moscow convinced they can win on the battlefield."There must be de-escalation on both
sides," Ramaphosa said in a press conference in Kyiv the day before, calling for "peace through negotiations".But Zelensky ruled out that
with Russia, now that the occupier is on our land, is to freeze..
pain and suffering," he said.'Listen carefully'"In our view it is important to listen very carefully to what both countries have to say, and
tomorrow we are now going to listen to President Putin," Ramaphosa said.The visit in Kyiv did not get off to a smooth start.Air raid siren
sounded in Kyiv shortly after their arrival, which Zelensky said showed that Putin either did not control his army, or was
"irrational".Ramaphosa took the barrage as evidence that both sides needed to stop fighting.The delegation also comes as both sides are
focussed on battlefield developments, as Kyiv presses its newly-launched counteroffensive.Putin's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu called for
more tanks to be manufactured "to meet the needs of Russian forces" in Ukraine.Kyiv on Friday evening reported tactical successes
at the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum."I think that Ukraine's armed forces stand no chance [in the south], as well as in other directions..
I have no doubt about that," Putin said.'Affecting African countries'While conducting a military operation in Ukraine, which Moscow
considers within its sphere of influence, Putin has sought to portray Russia as a bulwark against neocolonialism.In Saint Petersburg, Putin
proclaimed the end of "the ugly neo-colonial system", which he often mentions in appeals to African partners.Russia also accuses the West of
exports to resume through the Black Sea.Securing the future viability of a deal allowing grain from Ukraine to reach the global market would
or 1.3 billion people on the African continent," Ramaphosa said in Kyiv.Analysts told AFP the mediating effort could hope to win some
concessions from the Kremlin ahead of a Russia-Africa summit next month.Prisoner swaps and fertiliser exports will also likely be on the
agenda in Moscow, other analysts have suggested.Zelensky pressed the African leaders on the issue, asking them to "please, let them release
I think this will be an important result of your mission".African countries have been divided over their response to the fighting, with some
