Missiles fired at Kyiv as African leaders arrive in Ukraine to promote peace plan

Russia has fired missiles on Kyiv this morning, according to Ukrainian authorities, just as a delegation of African leaders arrive to promote a peace plan.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that at least one explosion had been heard in the capital. According to the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kouleba, "The Russian missiles are a message to Africa: Russia wants more war, not peace."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and several other senior African political figures arrived in Ukraine on Friday morning to promote a plan that would provide a roadmap to Russian-Ukrainian peace negotiations.

Ramaphosa's trip, which was announced by the South African presidency on Twitter, marks the first time he has visited the country since the Russian invasion.

He is part of a delegation that will also visit Russia on Saturday. Also included are Senegalese Premier Macky Sall, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, African Union chief Azali Assoumani, and representatives from the Congo, Uganda and Egypt.

The proposal they are offering, which has not yet been made public in full, is framed as a package of peace-building measures that will bring the war to a halt and thus clear the way for mediated negotiations.

Among its suggestions are a full withdrawal of Russian troops, the removal of all tactical nuclear weapons from the territory of Russian ally Belarus, the suspension of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, and broad sanctions relief, according to Reuters.

That last point is of particular relevance to the delegation because of international problems caused by the conflict, in particular when it comes to Ukrainian grain exports crucial for the global food supply. 

While experts are sceptical that