The African National Congress (ANC) has expressed strong support for President Cyril Ramaphosa's upcoming hosting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Image: News24
(The Post News)- The African National Congress (ANC) has received President Cyril Ramaphosa’s intended hosting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 10 with warm arms. The visit is well-timed as the two leaders will be discussing bilateral relations as well as issues of mutual interest in the world today, including current hostilities in Ukraine.
Nomvula Mokonyane, the ANC Deputy Secretary General and party International Relations Sub-Committee chairperson, confirmed that the ANC was not influenced by external pressure regarding Zelenskyy’s visit. She again stated that the party is non-aligned in its position and that South Africa continues to pursue its independent foreign policy.
We are glad for the visit. Remember we were non-aligned to this, and we pioneered doing it when it was not fashionable. The ANC called on South Africa to intervene, and our president and the South African government acted,” Mokonyane concluded. “We are looking forward to President Zelenskyy’s visitation, where we hope to get a report on progress on some of the undertakings in our relations.”.
Zelenskyy’s trip is meant to follow up on South Africa’s diplomatic initiative to bring peace to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The trip follows the background of talks between President Ramaphosa, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Zelenskyy on an all-encompassing peace process for the cessation of the war. The South African presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa had been in talks with the two leaders on a path to peace.
President Zelensky will be visiting South Africa on the 10th of April,” announced Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for the South African presidency. According to Magwenya, the visit is an extension of President Ramaphosa’s discussions about an inclusive peace process with Presidents Zelensky and Putin.
South Africa has maintained a balanced stance throughout the war, despite growing its relations with Russia. As part of the BRICS bloc, alongside Russia and China, South Africa has been resolute in resisting Western pressure to move away from Moscow. South Africa has also conducted joint naval exercises with Russia and China, making its role on the international stage more complicated.
In 2023, Ramaphosa led an African peace mission with leaders from five other nations in Africa, although this initiative did not produce tangible results. However, South Africa’s peace diplomacy remains at the centre of its foreign policy agenda. Ramaphosa presented a 10-point peace plan in Ukraine in June 2023 during the African Peace Mission.
Zelenskyy’s visit to South Africa is a significant milestone in Ukraine’s foreign engagement with the African continent. This comes after Ukraine sought to widen its global support prior to scheduled peace negotiations. The visit had been highly anticipated following Ukrainian authorities’ confirmation in January that Pretoria had invited Zelenskyy to South Africa, although official announcements were initially delayed.
Ramaphosa and Zelenskyy had previously met in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum to agree on the details of the visit by the Ukrainian leader to South Africa.
Zelenskyy’s visit follows rising global tensions, following a previous meeting between the Ukrainian president and US President Donald Trump at the White House. The visit was abruptly cut short, with Zelenskyy leaving without signing a long-awaited deal between the US and Ukraine. The crisis also made the US-Ukraine relationship more complicated, particularly when the Trump administration temporarily suspended military aid to Ukraine, which was to amount to over $1 billion in arms and ammunition.
Meanwhile, European leaders are competing to bolster support for Ukraine and maintain Europe’s defences robust, with the UK and France taking the lead in preparing to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Although the South African-Ukrainian relationship has been strained following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, South Africa’s involvement in Zelensky’s peace process in 2023 and Ramaphosa’s presidency in 2023 assisted in easing tensions between the two nations. With the upcoming visit, it is hoped that the two countries’ bilateral relationship will further strengthen, as in ongoing endeavours worldwide to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the war.
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