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The African delegation and Vladimir Putin. Pavel Bednyakov / AP  

 

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world 

Africa works for peace in Ukraine: Affects us hard  

 

The war in Ukraine affects not only the citizens of Ukraine but also the population of Africa and therefore Russia and Ukraine should sit down at the negotiating table. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said this in connection with Saturday's meeting in Saint Petersburg with President Vladimir Putin. 

 

Ramaphosa leads the African peace delegation that visited Ukraine on Friday and then traveled on to Russia. President Vladimir Putin welcomed the delegation. 

 

- We are open to a constructive dialogue with everyone who wants peace based on the principles of justice and consideration of the legitimate interests of the parties, Vladimir Putin said before the meeting.  

 

Ukraine has made it clear several times that it cannot accept a peace agreement that does not respect Ukraine's independence.  

 

South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa in Saint Petersburg. Grigory Sysoyev / AP  

 

The African delegation has arrived in Saint Petersburg  

 

The African peace delegation led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Saint Petersburg, Politico reports. 

 

"The arrival in Russia's capital of culture follows constructive discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy," the South African president's staff wrote in a statement.  

 

The delegation will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and then hope to present a possible peace plan. However, Zelenskyi has been doubtful about the delegation's ability to produce one, saying on Friday that Ukraine is not ready to negotiate with Russia.  

 

Experts believe that the trip is also about securing grain exports to Africa and showing the West that the African countries are not friendly to Russia.

Joe Biden and Antony Blinken. Susan Walsh/AP 

The US-China relationship  

Blinken travels to China - Biden hopes to meet with Xi  

When US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken travels to Beijing on Sunday, it will be the first time in five years that an American foreign minister visits China, AP writes. However, the relationship between the countries is described as strained and expectations for the meeting are low.  

The meeting was actually supposed to have taken place this spring, but just a few days before the meeting, the United States discovered that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was in American airspace. The balloon was shot down by the US Air Force and Blinken's trip was cancelled.  

The countries' leaders, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, have promised to improve the relationship and communication between the countries and Blinken's trip is seen as an important step in that. Joe Biden also said on Saturday afternoon that he hopes to meet Xi within "the coming months".  

Biden and Zelensky at the G7 meeting in Japan. Susan Walsh/AP 

Biden: Ukraine will not be fast-tracked into NATO 

If Ukraine wants to join NATO, they will not be fast-tracked into the defense alliance. This is what US President Joe Biden says at a press conference. 

- They must meet the same standards as other countries. So we will not make it easy for them, he says according to AFP.  

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi will be invited to this summer's summit in Vilnius, in what is seen as a highly symbolic act.  

- We will not invite them to the alliance, but we will talk about how Ukraine can get closer to NATO, Stoltenberg said.