Senegal’s President Macky Sall, the current African Union (AU) head, has spoken with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to urge a “lasting” ceasefire in Ukraine.
He is the second African leader to admit to speaking with Mr. Putin, following Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
“As President of the African Union, I am delighted about my conversation this morning with President Putin to press for a lasting ceasefire,” Mr Sall said in a tweet.
“I applaud him for listening and for his willingness to maintain dialogue in order to reach a negotiated resolution to the conflict.”
According to Mr. Sisi’s office, his talks with Mr. Putin focused on the Ukraine crisis and strengthening relations between the two countries.
Following the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24, the AU issued a statement calling for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be respected and international law to be followed.
Ecowas, the West African regional bloc, condemned the invasion.
