South African President Cyril Ramaphosa meets Putin in Moscow
Moscow:
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is in Russia as part of a peace-seeking delegation, told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the conflict in Ukraine must stop.
Ramaphosa said, “This war must end… It must be resolved through dialogue and diplomatic means.”
He said that his delegation, which included seven African leaders, “came with a very clear message: that this war has to end.”
“This war is having a negative impact on the African continent and indeed many other countries around the world,” Ramaphosa said ahead of formal talks with the Russian president.
On Friday, the delegation held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev.
Comoros President Azali Assoumani, who currently heads the African Union, said, “We have come to hear you and through you the voice of the Russian people.”
“We wanted to encourage you to enter into dialogue with Ukraine,” he said.
African countries have been divided over their response to the conflict, with some taking sides with Ukraine, while others have remained neutral or sided with Moscow.
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