Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed the country has been asked to mediate on the conflict in Ukraine.
This follows his phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin where the two presidents discussed the conflict on Thursday.
Ramaphosa said Putin appreciated South Africa’s balanced approach on the conflict.
However, the country has been called on to play a role of mediation between Ukraine and Russia.
“President Putin appreciated our balanced approach. We believe this position enables both parties to subject the conflict to mediation and negotiation. Based on our relations with the Russian Federation and as member of BRICS, South Africa has been approached to play a mediation role.” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa posted the message on Twitter on Thursday.
He said South Africa continued calling for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Ukraine since the war began two weeks ago.
The government in Ukraine has estimated the damage to the infrastructure and economy to over $100 billion (R1.5 trillion).
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov met his counterpart in Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya in Turkey to discuss the peaceful resolution to the conflict.
This comes against other meetings between the two sides on the border with Belarus in the past two weeks.
Ramaphosa said he had made a phone call to Putin with a view to understanding what was going on in Ukraine.
“Thanking His Excellency President Vladimir Putin for taking my call today, so I could gain an understanding of the situation that was unfolding between Russia and Ukraine,” Ramaphosa said.
“I outlined our position on the conflict that has unfolded as well as our belief that the conflict should be resolved through mediation and negotiation between the parties and – if need be – with the help of agencies that can help bring a solution to the conflict,” he said.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
POLITICAL BUREAU