South Africa president meets Zelensky, backs Ukraine truce push

Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his first visit to South Africa on Thursday for agreeing to...

Pretoria: President Cyril Ramaphosa praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his first visit to South Africa on Thursday for agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire in the war with Russia so that peace talks could begin.

Ramaphosa threw South Africa's weight behind the push for an end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with Zelensky hours after agreeing in a call with US President Donald Trump that the conflict should be ended urgently.

"It is a good signal from President Zelensky that Ukraine is agreeable to an unconditional ceasefire so that discussions and negotiations can then ensue,"  Ramaphosa told reporters after talks with the Ukrainian leader.

"It is a confidence-building measure that should be a key ingredient in a negotiation process."

Even while welcoming Zelensky to South Africa, Ramaphosa has maintained warm ties with Russia, a historical ally of the post-apartheid government for its support in the struggle against white minority rule.