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African Delegation, Including Egypt, Visits Ukraine on Peace Mission

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on before a bilateral meeting as part of the 111th International Labor Conference (ILO) at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 14 June 2023. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on before a bilateral meeting as part of the 111th International Labor Conference (ILO) at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 14 June 2023. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
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African Delegation, Including Egypt, Visits Ukraine on Peace Mission

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on before a bilateral meeting as part of the 111th International Labor Conference (ILO) at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 14 June 2023. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on before a bilateral meeting as part of the 111th International Labor Conference (ILO) at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 14 June 2023. EPA/MARTIAL TREZZINI

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine on Friday as part of an African peace mission that includes Egypt, the South African presidency said on Twitter.

Ramaphosa is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and then travel to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

The South African presidency posted footage of Ramaphosa arriving by train in the Bucha area near Kyiv after travelling via Poland.

Along with Senegal President Macky Sall, Ramaphosa is heading a delegation including leaders from Zambia, the Comoros, and Egypt's prime minister.

The peace mission could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during initial efforts at mediation, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters.

The document states that the objective of the mission is "to promote the importance of peace and to encourage the parties to agree to a diplomacy-led process of negotiations".

Those measures could include a Russian troop pull-back, removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of implementation of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin, and sanctions relief, it indicated.

A cessation of hostilities agreement could follow and would need to be accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West, the document stated.

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China Anchors ‘Monster Ship’ in South China Sea, Philippine Coast Guard Says

An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)
An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)
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China Anchors ‘Monster Ship’ in South China Sea, Philippine Coast Guard Says

An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)
An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday that China's largest coastguard vessel has anchored in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and is meant to intimidate its smaller Asian neighbor.

The China coastguard's 165-meter "monster ship" entered Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ on July 2, spokesperson for the PCG Jay Tarriela told a news forum.

The PCG warned the Chinese vessel it was in the Philippine's EEZ and asked about their intentions, he said.

"It's an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard," Tarriela said. "We're not going to pull out and we're not going to be intimidated."

China's embassy in Manila and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's coast guard has no publicly available contact information.

The Chinese ship, which has also deployed a small boat, was anchored 800 yards away from the PCG's vessel, Tarriela said.

In May, the PCG deployed a ship to the Sabina shoal to deter small-scale reclamation by China, which denied the claim. China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands in the South China Sea, building air force and other military facilities, causing concern in Washington and around the region.

China claims most of the South China Sea, a key conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade, as its own territory. Beijing rejects the 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which said its expansive maritime claims had no legal basis.

Following a high-level dialogue, the Philippines and China agreed on Tuesday for the need to "restore trust" and "rebuild confidence" to better manage maritime disputes.

The Philippines has turned down offers from the United States, its treaty ally, to assist operations in the South China Sea, despite a flare-up with China over routing resupply missions to Filipino troops on a contested shoal.