S.Africa president backs Ukraine truce push at Zelensky meeting

President Cyril Ramaphosa praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his 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 Zelensky hours after agreeing in a call with US President Donald Trump that the conflict 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 who arrived early Thursday.

"This, we believe, is a very positive signal that should be embraced," he said. "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".

And earlier on Thursday Ramaphosa talked with Trump, with both leaders agreeing "that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths", the South African president said.

Ramaphosa added that his country was ready to play a role in the "inclusive multilateral efforts" to reach peace.

"And we call upon all parties, both Russia and Ukraine, to ensure that there is a comprehensive ceasefire, an unconditional ceasefire, so that discussions and negotiations can start between the two countries."

South African shift

Zelensky welcomed South Africa's support and said Ukraine wanted to grow its presence on the African continent.

But he said he would cut short his trip to return to Kyiv after the capital was hit at dawn by the deadliest strike in months, with at least eight people killed.

The attack was designed to put "pressure" on the Ukrainian people and the United States, which is pushing hard for a peace deal, Zelensky said.

'Putin doesn't like Ukraine's presence in Africa,' Zelensky said. By PHILL MAGAKOE (AFP)

Ramaphosa's invitation to Zelensky to visit was seen as a shift in Pretoria's non-aligned stance on the war, which began in 2022 with Russia's invasion.

The South African government in February for the first time joined a UN General Assembly resolution criticising Russia for "the full-scale invasion of Ukraine".

South Africa believes it can work with both sides and facilitate an inclusive peace process, drawing on its own relatively smooth transition out of white-minority rule in 1994 after decades of armed struggle.

"The negotiations that brought an end to the nightmare of apartheid were held on a no-precondition basis," Ramaphosa said, urging Moscow and Kyiv to follow that example.

The South African leader said Zelenksy had taken "significant strides" in expanding Ukraine's relations with the African continent, which was ready to play a "productive role" in ending the war.

Zelensky said the talks had also touched on the important global role in defending peace held by the G20 group of leading economies, which is this year under South Africa's presidency.

Ukraine wanted to build its bilateral ties with South Africa, including in the power, agriculture and fertiliser sectors, the Ukrainian leader said.

"Putin doesn't like Ukraine's presence in Africa. And surely he doesn't want Ukraine to build any good, primarily humane, also economic relationships with countries on your continent."

Russia has "been trying to be exclusively present in your country and elsewhere," he said.