Cape Town – The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent Africa Peace Mission led by African leaders dominated talks held by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a joint working visit in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa, along with leaders from Senegal, Zambia, and Comoros, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the past weekend.
Despite not reaching a deal to end the war, then president, in his weekly newsletter, considered the peace mission a success and provided optimism for the resolution of the conflict.
The African leaders presented a 10-point proposal as part of efforts to bring the conflict to an end
According to SABC, Ramaphosa briefed the two Nato members about what transpired in Russia and Ukraine.
“Among other things, we called for de-escalation of fighting and for negotiations to commence with urgency, for the release of prisoners of war and return of children, for the greater humanitarian support and for the reconstruction to be prioritised.
Rutte appreciated the briefing on current issues and expressed the need for continued conversation to stabilise the situation.
“We were fortunate to get a debrief about your visit to Kiev and St Petersburg a couple of days ago and you just returned. We have to continue the conversation to stabilise the situation, but also the insight about what’s happening in Africa. You briefed us about DRC and Mozambique, but also the broader opportunities in Africa and I see there is a free economic zone established – and for South Africa relations with the European Union remain number one.”
Frederiksen emphasises the crucial role of collaboration among strong democracies in the pursuit of peace and stability.
“We have so many challenges in front of us, you are facing a new conflict in your continent. We are facing a war in Europe and none of these conflicts and wars can be solved without cooperation from strong democracies. You have for more than 30 years supported international law. You’re a strong global voice and we are here to hear your perspective,” she said.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron hopes to attend a Brics summit scheduled for August, his foreign minister said on Tuesday, a meeting to which Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been invited.
Foreign minister Catherine Colonna said she had informed summit hosts South Africa Pretoria of Macron’s “interest” in attending as an observer at the summit of a bloc which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“I informed my counterpart… of the President’s availability and interest in pursuing dialogue that France maintains with the Brics,” Colonna said in response to a journalist’s question during a visit to South Africa.
It is not common for other foreign leaders to attend the bloc’s meetings.
Macron’s summit attendance “if it were to happen would be an innovation to the model of Brics participation that we’ve had up to this time”, said International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor on Monday, adding that the decision on who gets invited lies with President Cyril Ramaphosa who is the current Brics chairperson
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Colonna said that such an invitation would have to be “in full respect of international law”, in reference to the possible attendance of Putin.
The Russian leader has been invited to the summit of the group that was created as a counterbalance to a western dominated international order.
Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.
A member of the ICC, South Africa would be expected to arrest him if he sets foot in the country.
The arrest warrant is a problem for Pretoria, which has been close to the Kremlin since the anti-apartheid struggle years.
South Africa has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it is impartial and prefers dialogue.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
Additional information by AFP
