Pretoria, South Africa – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to South Africa Thursday underscored a shift in Pretoria’s stance on Russia’s invasion, which it had initially refused to condemn.
Zelensky’s first visit to Africa took place just weeks after South Africa joined for the first time a UN General Assembly resolution criticising Russia for the war.
The UN’s February resolution « reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity » against « the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation ».
After Thursday’s meeting with Zelensky, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an « unconditional ceasefire » in the war that started in 2022.
Zelensky cut short his trip following the meeting to return to Kyiv after it was hit by a deadly strike.
Ramaphosa said South Africa was « ready to continue to support all credible as well as inclusive multilateral efforts at achieving a just and sustainable comprehensive peace ».
Pretoria’s close ties with the Kremlin — forged by its support in the struggle against the previous apartheid regime — has raised eyebrows at home and abroad, with attempts to pressure it to drop a non-aligned stance.
The relationship even fuelled claims by a former US ambassador that a Russian ship docked in Cape Town in 2022 was stocked with weapons intended for the conflict.
« South Africa has been criticised previously for taking quite an ambiguous position in defining the conflict, » Institute for Security Studies researcher Priyal Singh told AFP.
« And I think the UN resolution basically set that straight: South Africa has recognised that it needs to take a much less ambiguous role and to robustly engage with all sides, » he said.
Ramaphosa’s spokesman said last month Zelensky’s visit did not indicate a change in policy but rather a « continuation of our efforts to try to bring about a peaceful resolution ».
And Pretoria’s inclusive attitude does not come at the expense of its ties with Moscow, with Ramaphosa in October referring to Moscow as an « ally and precious friend ».
Pretoria wants to believe that it can work with both sides in the conflict and facilitate an inclusive peace process, perhaps 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, » said Ramaphosa, who two years ago led a delegation of African heads of state to Moscow and Kyiv to push both sides to negotiate.
An unconditional ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict would be a « confidence-building measure that should be a key ingredient in a negotiation process », he said Thursday.
– Step towards Europe –
Ramaphosa invited the Ukrainian leader in February as South Africa was coming under attack from US President Donald Trump, who had also taken aim at Zelensky and moved to negotiate an end to the war without involving Ukraine or its European allies.
As Washington has cut international aid and trade, South Africa has moved closer to Europe which had also been critical of its ambiguous position on Russia’s war, Singh said.
« South Africa is certainly trying to find common ground with its European partners; it recognises their importance, » he told AFP.
The shift has been noted by Europe. « South Africa has an increasingly positive role, » said Fulgencio Garrido Ruiz, deputy head of the EU mission in South Africa.
Zelensky’s visit was « a positive step in multilateral efforts to achieve an inclusive, sustainable and comprehensive peace », he said.
Ramaphosa also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to « affirm the strong bilateral relations », according to a South African government statement.
« South Africa will continue engaging all interested and affected parties, including the government of Ukraine on finding a path to peace, » it said.
While this may be Pretoria’s objective, Kyiv’s interests also lie in growing its international standing and its footprint on the continent.
Zelensky knows Ukraine needs to make more diplomatic effort in Africa in the face of Russia’s « very aggressive communication strategy », Garrido-Ruiz said.
© Agence France-Presse
