South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed to host a group of African leaders to discuss a potential peace plan, Reuters reported.

“My conversations with the two leaders showed that they are both ready to receive African leaders and discuss how to end this conflict,” Ramaphosa said at a joint press conference with Singapore’s prime minister.

“Whether it succeeds or not will depend on the discussions that will take place,” he said.

Putin and Zelensky agreed to host the mission in their capitals, Moscow and Kyiv, the South African president said in a statement.

Ramaphosa said the peace plan was also supported by the leaders of Senegal, Uganda and Egypt, adding that the UN Secretary-General, the United States and the United Kingdom had also been briefed on the initiative.

Washington and London have expressed “cautious” support for the peace plan, Ramaphosa added.

South Africa, considered one of Moscow’s closest allies on the continent, claims neutrality and abstains from voting on UN resolutions on the war.

Last week, it rejected claims by the US ambassador to South Africa that weapons were loaded onto a Russian ship from a naval base in Cape Town in December.

The South African leader’s remarks come as top Chinese emissary Li Hui is set to begin a series of visits to Ukraine, Russia and other European countries on Tuesday in a tour Beijing says is aimed at discussing a “political solution” to the conflict. crisis.