South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated his call for a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, saying South Africa remains "deeply concerned" about the ongoing conflict. His comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begins an official visit to South Africa—a significant move in Kyiv’s efforts to counter Russia’s growing influence across the continent.
Ramaphosa’s statement follows a deadly wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv early Thursday morning. The strikes came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly accused Zelenskyy of obstructing peace talks—adding further tension to an already volatile situation.
In a media briefing, Ramaphosa revealed that he had a telephone conversation with Trump earlier in the day, where they discussed a range of issues, including the war in Ukraine. He also confirmed that he had recently spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The call between myself and President Trump was long overdue. Our last conversation was in January, shortly before his inauguration," Ramaphosa said. "Today, we had a cordial discussion, and with President Zelenskyy visiting South Africa, the conflict in Ukraine and Russia naturally formed part of our dialogue."
Ramaphosa emphasized that South Africa remains committed to playing a role in peace efforts and will continue engaging all parties in pursuit of a negotiated end to the conflict, which began more than three years ago with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.