Ukraine war could be settled through talks, says S. Africa President
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South Africa's President underlines the need for ending the Ukraine war through peace talks rather than on the battlefield.
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their talks after a meeting with a delegation of African leaders and senior officials in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2023 (RIA Novosti via AP)
South Africa maintains the belief that the conflict in Ukraine should be resolved through diplomatic negotiations while adhering to the principles of non-alignment with military alliances, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday.
"As South Africa, we continue to maintain our position that this conflict [in Ukraine] should be settled through negotiation and by diplomatic means, in line with founding principles of the Non-Aligned Movement, and that it is in the collective interest of everyone that it come to an end soon," Ramaphosa said in a statement following a visit of African leaders to Ukraine and Russia.
Ramaphosa also expressed satisfaction with the warm reception he received during his visits to Moscow and Kiev, seeing it as a positive indication that the proposals put forward by African leaders will be taken seriously.
He mentioned that one of the significant achievements of the Peace Mission was the encouraging reception received from both sides, fostering optimism that the proposals will be given due consideration.
Read more: EU to refuse Africa peace initiative if it involves 'conflict freeze'
Ramaphosa emphasized that the well-being of the people affected by the conflict is of utmost priority for him and other African leaders, emphasizing that "everything should be done" to put an end to the hostilities.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is in Russia as part of a peace-seeking delegation, told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the war in Ukraine had to stop.
Recently, Ramaphosa, along with Senegalese President Macky Sall, Comoros President Othman Ghazali, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, as well as representatives from Uganda and Congo, visited Ukraine and Russia to discuss the African peace initiative regarding Ukraine.
The delegation held on Friday talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.
Ramaphosa said on Friday in Kiev that the African delegation of leaders for the peace mission in Ukraine told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that it is of utmost necessity for the conflict to end promptly.
The South African leader noted that it is better to end the conflict before everything is lost and that African countries are ready to continue cooperating on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
Peace initiative
Ramaphosa specified the African peace initiative to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, saying it includes 10 points.
"We are looking for peace. We would like to try to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine in this conflict," the South African President said at a meeting with Putin and African delegates on the Ukrainian peace initiative in St. Petersburg.
Ramaphosa had previously stated that the initiative's main points are:
- Achieving peace through negotiations and diplomatic means
- Peace negotiations to begin the soonest
- De-escalation of the conflict on both sides
- Ensuring the sovereignty of states and peoples in accordance with the UN Charter
- Providing security guarantees for all sides
- Securing the movement of grain and fertilizer exports from both sides
- Providing humanitarian support for victims
- Settling the issue of the exchange of prisoners of war (POW) and the return of children
- Having post-war reconstruction and assistance to victims
- Providing closer interaction with African countries
Putin personally received and greeted the African delegates at the Konstantinovsky Palace to discuss the joint African peace initiative on Ukraine.
