African leaders call on Putin to start peace talks with Ukraine

A delegation of African leaders urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin peace talks with Ukraine during a meeting with the Russian leader in St Petersburg.

"We would like to encourage you to start negotiations with Ukraine," Azali Assoumani, the president of Comoros and the current chairman of the African Union, told Putin on Saturday, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, "We are convinced that the time has come for both sides to start negotiations and end this war."