An incongruous spectacle unfolded between Kyiv and Moscow recently. The "Global South" suddenly showed up in Europe, offering to make peace amid the continent’s worst conflagration since World War II.
I’m talking about a mission of leaders from seven African countries captained by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. They first visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, then his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The delegation’s stated goal was to mediate between the mortal enemies. Ramaphosa did his best to sound optimistic. But Zelenskyy and Putin left little doubt that these African peace plans, for now, stand a snowball’s chance in the blast of a Russian Kinzhal missile.
Ramaphosa is one of several leaders in the Global South who have raised eyebrows in Kyiv and the West. His country has so far stayed conspicuously neutral in the Russo-Ukrainian "conflict,” as Ramaphosa insists on calling it to Zelenskyy’s chagrin — the Ukrainian president naturally wants to call the Russian invasion what it is, an unprovoked war of aggression. South Africa abstained from two United Nations resolutions last year to condemn the Russian attack. In the first, 35 countries opted out, and 58 did in the second. In total, these nations represent more than half of humanity.