Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed his discussion with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
This comes after Zelensky had revealed on Wednesday that he had a telephone discussion with Ramaphosa over the situation in Ukraine.
On Thursday, Ramaphosa said he had a call with the Ukraine president.
“I had a telephone conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa of Ukraine to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and its tragic human cost, as well its global ramifications. We agree on the need for a negotiated end to the conflict which has impacted Ukraine’s place in global supply chains, including its position as a major exporter of food to our continent. President Zelenskyy anticipates closer relations with Africa in future,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa has been calling for talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict.
He has said the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office should also be involved in those discussions for a ceasefire and an end to the war.
The opposition had been accusing Ramaphosa of not talking to Zelensky when he had spoken to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
This was after Ramaphosa had confirmed a few weeks ago that he had spoken to Putin on the conflict in Ukraine.
He later had another telephone discussion with US President Joe Biden and the president of China, Xi Jinping.
Ramaphosa had said he had reaffirmed his commitment to the peaceful solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The government had also said it had good trade relations with the two countries.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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