Zelensky rings Ramaphosa after peace initiative

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has for the first time since the African leaders’ peace initiative spoken to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zelensky confirmed the phone call in a tweet on Thursday saying: “Had a phone call with the president of South Africa. Thanked him for visiting Bucha and Kyiv together with other African leaders and for further efforts to return children illegally deported by Russia. We praised the results of the meeting of advisers in Copenhagen.

“We discussed the preparations for the Global Peace Summit and the necessary diplomatic steps to consolidate African support for Ukraine. We also emphasised the importance of extending the grain corridor. I invited South Africa to join the #GrainFromUkraine initiative.” 

Ramaphosa and six African heads of state — Egypt's Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuly, Senegal's President Macky Sall, president of the Comoros Azali Assoumani and Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema — visited Ukraine and Russia in June in a bid to broker peace in the conflict which broke out in February last year.

When the two leaders spoke last month before the initiative, Zelensky warned Ramaphosa against “arming the aggressor”.

Zelensky said: “I spoke about the peace formula, about justice and that our world should be united by the rules of international law. Anyone who helps the aggressor with a weapon will be accomplice, with all the consequences.     

“I called on Mr President [Ramaphosa] to join together with other countries, all continents and Africa to work to implement our peace formula.”

Zelensky was referring to allegations that arms had been loaded onto a Russian ship, the Lady R, in Simon’s Town in December. Ramaphosa has instituted an inquiry to establish the facts. 

Meanwhile, the Presidency on Friday confirmed that on Thursday Ramaphosa hosted a courtesy call by the deputy president of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, Malik Agar Eyre Nganyoufa, focusing on recent events and international efforts to end the conflict and violence in Sudan.

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