Zelenskyy’s visit to South Africa: how it can help Ukraine
24 April 13:29
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived unexpectedly in South Africa on Thursday. Here he is holding talks with South African President Cyril Rampaphosa on bilateral cooperation and efforts to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The visit comes as the Ukrainian leader tries to bolster international support for Kyiv’s defense efforts amid growing pressure from US President Donald Trump. There are increasingly frequent statements from his administration that Washington may withdraw support if there is no significant progress in reaching a “peace” agreement with Russia in the near future.
Commenting on his visit on the social network X, Zelenskyy said he would meet with Rammafosa, as well as other local politicians and public figures.
“It is important to bring a decent peace closer. We are working to ensure that the G20 countries are involved in diplomatic efforts. We are counting on South Africa’s effective participation in the international coalition to return thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. We will definitely strengthen our cultural and educational ties,”
– the Ukrainian leader wrote.
South Africa, which maintains good relations with Russia, maintains a neutral position on the Russian-Ukrainian war, but will see what it can do for peace.
“This visit provides South Africa and Ukraine with an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations… It will also allow us to explore areas of cooperation to support efforts to establish a lasting peace,”
– President Rammaphosa’s office said in a statement.
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This visit was the first ever visit to South Africa by a Ukrainian head of state. Rammaphosa and Zelensky have met many times before, including in Kyiv in 2023, when the South African leader took part in a mediation attempt by African leaders that unfortunately did not yield tangible results.
It is worth noting that the day before, Rammaphosa had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting afterward that the two leaders reaffirmed “strong bilateral relations” and a commitment to work together to find a peaceful solution to the war.
After another round of Russian missile attacks on Kyiv, which killed 10 people, Zelenskyy announced that he was cutting the program of his visit to South Africa and would limit himself to a meeting with the president. Instead, he will keep Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga in the country.
“Today I will inform President Ramaphosa of South Africa, who presides over the G20, about the situation and our need to intensify global diplomatic efforts. An end to the strikes is needed immediately and unconditionally. We also count on assistance in humanitarian issues – in the return of our prisoners and Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,”
– zelensky wrote.
Therefore, having collected the statements of the parties, it can be argued that South Africa can help Ukraine in the war in the following areas:
- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa can act as an intermediary in contacts with the Kremlin dictator;
- South Africa can facilitate certain initiatives within the G20 as the current presiding party;
- South Africa can be active in the international coalition for the return of abducted Ukrainian children;
- other diplomatic efforts.
However, the real purpose of the visit and the topics of conversation between the two presidents may remain unspoken. For example, we can recall that one of the common features of Ukraine and South Africa is that South Africa, like Ukraine, once gave up nuclear weapons.
