South African President Cyril Ramaposa announced on Thursday that his country had been asked to mediate in the & # 8220; Russia-Ukraine conflict & # 8221; and that he himself had telephoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and told him that the issue should be settled through negotiations. cooperate with both sides. He simply posted a statement on his LinkedIn page that he had spoken with Putin. “I described our position on the conflict, as well as our belief that the conflict should be resolved through mediation and negotiation between the parties and & # 8211; if needed & # 8211; “With the help of agencies that can help,” he said. “Based on our relationship with the Russian Federation and as a member of the BRICS, South Africa has approached to play a mediating role,” Ramaposa There have been no announcements from Moscow or Kyiv so far confirming the role of South Africa.
The ruling African National Congress in South Africa has strong historical ties with Russia since during the Soviet era that provided training and support to anti-apartheid activists during the Cold War.