Moscow, 17 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) — A delegation of African leaders pushing for peace in Ukraine arrived in Russia on Saturday, a day after they visited Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The group, led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, landed in St Petersburg on Saturday, his office said.

A meeting on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned.

The group also includes leaders from Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Zambia, Uganda and Comoros.

The hopes that the mediation mission will be successful after almost 16 months of war are extremely slim.

But Russia is particularly interested in bolstering relations with African countries given its economic and diplomatic isolation from Western powers.

At the end of May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in Kenya, Mozambique, Burundi and South Africa. A summit of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in August in South Africa is also being eagerly awaited.

The African delegation met with Zelensky in Kiev on Friday.

Zelensky spurned the suggestion he should negotiate with Moscow, saying there would be no talks as long as Russian soldiers are still on Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.

During the visit, the Russian army once again fired missiles at Kyiv.

Many African countries are hurting from the prolonged conflict.

Countries in East Africa in particular depend on grain and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine. New price increases are feared as a result of fewer grain exports.