In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, (from left) Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Senegal's President Macky Sall, President of the Union of Comoros Azali Assoumani, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema pose for a picture during their meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, June 16, 2023. (PHOTO / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE VIA AP)

KIEV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday met with a visiting delegation of African countries' leaders to discuss ways to bring peace to Ukraine, the presidential press service reported.

Comorian President Azali Assoumani, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, took part in the talks.

During the meeting, Zelensky presented the Ukrainian Peace Formula to the leaders of African countries, noting that it would help to restore the security of Ukraine and other states that were affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Today, I saw the prospect of our joint work on specific points of the Peace Formula. Of course, I invited African states to participate in the Global Peace Summit, which we are preparing," Zelensky said.

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During the meeting, the parties also discussed the issue of global food security, in particular the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the grain from Ukraine humanitarian program.

Grossi said the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has caused a decrease in the water level, which is needed to cool the nuclear facility, but the plant will work to replenish the water so that the safety functions can continue normally

The leaders of African nations arrived in Kiev earlier in the day. 

Cooling pond to be ‘closely’ monitored 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will closely monitor the water level at the cooling pond of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said Thursday.

"With the water that is here the plant can be kept safe for some time," Grossi said in a video message on Twitter after visiting the ZNPP.

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The destruction of the Kakhovka dam has caused a decrease in the water level, which is needed to cool the nuclear facility, but the plant will work to replenish the water so that the safety functions can continue normally, Grossi said.

Grossi arrived at the ZNPP earlier on Thursday to assess the situation after the Kakhovka dam flooding.

The Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam was destroyed on June 6, with Ukraine and Russia trading accusations over the attack on it.

A church is surrounded by water in a flooded neighborhood in Kherson, Ukraine, June 8, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

The ZNPP, which has been controlled by Russian forces since March 2022, is located some 140 km northeast of the Kakhovka plant. 

Settlements affected

Nearly 200 settlements have been affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Friday.

With a combined population of 1.4 million, the affected communities are located in the southern Kherson and Mykolayiv regions and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Shmyhal said during his visit to the Kherson region.

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Currently, 39 settlements remain in the disaster area, while more than 3,700 people have been rescued from the flooded areas, Shmyhal said.

The government has allocated about $42 million to provide compensation for the damaged and destroyed property and to pay one-time aid to flood victims, he added.