Cape Town - Parliament is debating the conflict in Ukraine as parties draw different positions on how it should be resolved.
The ANC has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has pushed for a peaceful solution and last week he was on a call with Russian President Vladmir Putin where South Africa was asked to mediate in the conflict.
Ramaphosa called for the UN Security Council to play a leading role in the intervention in Ukraine.
But some opposition parties called for the government to condemn Russia.
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It comes against the backdrop of the country abstaining, with 34 other countries, in the UN General Assembly on the matter.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana warned last week that South Africa would continue to face a surge in oil prices as sanctions against Russia continue to bite.
The EU and the US imposed sanctions against Russia with some of the Western countries pulling out of Moscow and other district centres in that country.
The government is under pressure from some opposition parties to condemn Russia, but Ramaphosa and the ANC called for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
The conflict led to hundreds of people dying and the government of Ukraine estimated the damage to be more than $100 billion.
The International Monetary Fund said the economy of Ukraine could shrink by 35% this year.
UN agencies warned about the refugee crisis across Europe, who are fleeing Ukraine.
Millions of people have crossed the border to different parts of Europe.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
POLITICAL BUREAU