Ramaphosa, Putin Discuss Africa’s Role In Ceasefire In Russia, Ukraine Conflict

According to the Kremlin, Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Vladimir Putin held a telephone call on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, regarding Africa's role in brokering a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. 

According to Reuters, the Russian government stated that Putin and Ramaphosa addressed the "well-known" African offer to mediate the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian President will welcome numerous African leaders shortly, according to a Kremlin statement.

The Russia-Africa meeting in St Petersburg at the end of July, as well as the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August, were also discussed.

As a signatory to the Rome Statute, the South African government is under pressure to implement the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest order against Putin for suspected war crimes in Ukraine if he attends the Summit.

On Monday, Ramaphosa convened a virtual conference with five other African presidents, including Othman Ghazali of the Comoros Islands, Egypt's Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Macky Sall of Senegal, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia.

The Heads of State deliberated on the devastating impact the war has had on the people of Ukraine and Russia, as well as the threats that this war poses to Europe and indeed the rest of the world if it continues," the Presidency said in a statement.

The continental leaders agreed to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a cease-fire and peace deal. 

The African leaders expressed their willingness to visit Ukraine and Russia in mid-June.