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Addressing the media on Thursday, 20 March 2025, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria; the Spokesperson to the Presidency Vincent Mangwenya confirmed that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zeleskyy will visit South Africa on the 24th April 2025.
Mangwenya said Zelenskyy will be meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa to seek intervention in the war stricken country and find diplomatic peaceful resolutions to their conflict with Russia, which is an ally of South Africa; and to further build diplomatic relations with Ukraine.
According to Mangwenya, the Ukrainian President was originally supposed to visit South Africa on the 10th, but on Zelenskyy’s request, the meeting was moved the 24th of April. He said South Africa, up to a point agrees with the United States of America in resolving the war peacefully through diplomatic talks.
Following a meeting that went south in Washington DC with President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy has been criss-crossing the globe to find support in resolving the war peacefully as the cease fire agreement with Russia is not coming to fruition. Europe in particular has shown unwavering support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
The western countries have also shown support towards Zelenskyy and Ukraine following the fall-out with America; however, there are reports that Zeleskyy and Trump are in talks, it is reported that Zelenskyy agreed to halt attacks on energy targets during a call with Trump on Wednesday, it is also reported that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin also agreed to the terms during a phone call with Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Mangwenya affirmed that hosting the President of Ukraine is not in conflict with the country’s foreign policy stance, to remain friendly to other states across the globe. He said South Africa has long began diplomatic relations with Ukraine, meeting with Zelenskyy after the fallout with The White House does not in any means affect the already strained relationship between South Africa and America.
The meeting between Kyiv and Pretoria does not mean that South Africa is taking sides or forming an alliance with Ukraine, the Spokesperson questioned that if all other countries in the world are talking to Ukraine, why should not South Africa talk to Ukraine?
