South Africa insists that Ukraine peace talks should occur without preconditions

During a visit from Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow should commence without any preconditions, such as Ukraine surrendering territory to Russia.

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the Ukrainian leader for not acknowledging Russia’s annexation of Crimea as part of a U.S.-brokered peace agreement to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

South Africa aims to position itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict while maintaining strong ties with Russia, as both nations are members of the BRICS coalition, which seeks to counterbalance the Western-centric economic framework.

When asked if Ukraine might need to relinquish any land to Russia during peace discussions, Ramaphosa emphasized that such matters should be addressed at the negotiation table. He shared insights from South Africa’s own history, noting that the negotiations that ended apartheid were conducted without preconditions, as he explained in a press conference alongside Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy arrived in South Africa just as Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, resulting in at least eight fatalities. He shortened his visit, his first to an African nation, to return home in light of the assault.

Amid increasing pressure from Trump, he has been working to bolster international backing for Ukraine’s defense efforts and remarked that discussing Ukraine’s red lines in negotiations with Russia is futile without a complete ceasefire.

This week, Ramaphosa also engaged in separate phone conversations with Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin regarding the peace process in Ukraine.

Ramaphosa and Zelenskiy have met several times, including in Kyiv in 2023, as part of an African-led mediation initiative that has yet to yield significant progress.