By Mark Ogagan
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised President Volodymyr Zelenskky of Ukraine during the latter’s first visit to South Africa on Thursday for agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire in the war with Russia so that peace talks could begin.
Ramaphosa threw South Africa’s weight behind the push for an end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with Zelenskky hours after agreeing in a call with US President Donald Trump that the war should be ended urgently.
“It is a good signal from President Zelensky that Ukraine is agreeable to an unconditional ceasefire so that discussions and negotiations can then ensue,” Ramaphosa told reporters after talks with the Ukrainian leader.
“It is a confidence-building measure that should be a key ingredient in a negotiation process.”
Even while welcoming Zelensky to South Africa, Ramaphosa has maintained warm ties with Russia, a historical ally of the post-apartheid government for its support in the struggle against white minority rule.
He said he had spoken to Putin earlier in the week and “we both committed to work together towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”
Earlier on Thursday, he spoke with Trump and they agreed “that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,” the South African president said.
They would “meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations,” he said, referring to a nosedive in bilateral ties after Trump came to power this year.
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