Capetown: According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, six African leaders will visit Russia and Ukraine "as soon as is possible" to assist in putting an end to the conflict.

Presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, have "agreed to receive the mission and the African heads of state, in both Moscow and Kyiv," according to Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa claimed to have had "separate telephone calls" over the weekend with Zelensky and Putin during which he discussed a plan created by South Africa, Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Egypt, and Zambia.

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Ramaphosa stated that he had agreed with both President Zelensky and President Putin to start making plans for meetings with the leaders of Africa.

At a press conference held in Cape Town in conjunction with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's state visit, he stated, "We're hoping we'll have in-depth discussions.

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The African Union (AU) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been informed about the initiative and have praised it, Ramaphosa continued.

Ramaphosa said only that the conflict had been "devastating" and that Africa "is also suffering a great deal" from it. He did not provide a specific schedule for the visit or any other information.

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The impact of the global trade crisis and the increase in grain prices have severely hurt African nations.

The declaration came a day after Ramaphosa claimed that South Africa had come under "extraordinary pressure" to choose a side in the conflict as a result of American allegations that Pretoria had provided weapons to Moscow, which would have violated its declared neutrality.