President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to host President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday in what will mark the first official visit by a Ukrainian head of state to South Africa.
According to presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, the visit will provide both countries with an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation.
“The visit provides South Africa and Ukraine with an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and expand cooperation in the areas of trade, agriculture, and education,” Magwenya said on Wednesday.
He added that the talks will also focus on “areas of cooperation with the objective to support efforts to bring lasting peace.”
The visit signals a deepening of diplomatic ties between the two nations and follows Ramaphosa’s own trip to Ukraine in June 2023 as part of the Africa Peace Initiative—a diplomatic effort led by several African heads of state aimed at mediating an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The Africa Peace Initiative, spearheaded by Ramaphosa and involving leaders from Senegal, Zambia, Egypt, and other African nations, was launched in 2023 in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The initiative aims to offer an alternative, non-aligned perspective on the conflict, advocating for dialogue, humanitarian support, and the protection of global food supply chains disrupted by the war.
Ramaphosa’s 2023 visit to Kyiv, alongside other African leaders, was widely seen as a bold diplomatic step, reflecting Africa’s growing role in international peace-building efforts.
The African delegation also traveled to Moscow to present a 10-point peace proposal to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thursday’s meeting in Pretoria is expected to build on the momentum of those efforts, with a renewed emphasis on conflict resolution and economic cooperation.
