RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have agreed to separate meetings with a delegation of leaders from six African countries to discuss a possible plan to end the war in Ukraine, South Africa’s president said on Tuesday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said he spoke with both leaders by phone over the weekend, with each agreeing to host an “African leaders’ peace mission” in Moscow and Kiev respectively.

President Ramaphosa said: “Principal to our discussions are efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict in Ukraine.”

The leaders of Zambia, Senegal, Republic of Congo, Uganda and Egypt would make up the delegation along with himself, Mr Ramaphosa said in a statement. 

The Russians and Ukrainian presidents both gave him the go-ahead to “commence the preparations,” the South African president said.

Four of those six African countries — South Africa, Republic of Congo, Senegal and Uganda — abstained from a United Nations vote last year on condemning Russia's invasion. 

Zambia and Egypt voted in favour of the motion.

Mr Ramaphosa did not give a time frame or outline any parameters for the possible peace talks. 

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres had welcomed the initiative, President Ramaphosa said.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “We are in favour of any initiative that could lead us to a peace in line with the UN Charter, in line with international law and in line with general assembly resolutions,” Mr Dujarric said.

The announcement came days after the US ambassador to South Africa accused the country of siding with Russia in the war in Ukraine and even providing weapons to help Moscow.

Last week, ambassador Reuben Brigety said that weapons and ammunition were loaded onto a Russian-flagged cargo ship at a South African naval base in December and taken to Russia.

South Africa has denied sending any weapons to Russia and has said the matter is under investigation.

The country has taken a non-aligned position on the conflict in Ukraine, though it has strong historical ties to Russia — the Soviet Union supporting South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party when it was seeking to overthrow the racist apartheid regime.

China is also engaged in efforts to secure peace in Ukraine and this week dispatched  a senior envoy to Europe to build on the peace plan they put forward in February.

Neither the US or the UN have made any obvious steps towards finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.