Selenskyj's flaming visit to South Africa: a striving for peace!

Selenskyj's flaming visit to South Africa: a striving for peace!

Pretoria, Südafrika - On April 24, 2025, an important meeting between Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took place in Pretoria. This meeting was sharply criticized by the pro-Russian opposition in South Africa, which, among other things, organized protests with the slogan "Shame about you, Ramaphosa and Selenskyj" in front of government buildings. The background is the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, which has been going on since February 2022 and is aggressive against Ukraine in Russia, while western countries support Ukraine.

Selenskyj shortened his stay in South Africa and immediately returned due to the recent Russian attacks, in which at least 12 people were killed in Kiev. In this context, Ramaphosa referred to the need for a dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, whereby South Africa wants to position itself as a neutral intermediary. Despite the lack of Russia's lack of South Africa, such as a UN Resolution, Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of a peaceful solution to the conflict in a phone call with Vladimir Putin.

peace talks and diplomatic efforts

Selenskyj urged to put pressure on Moscow to end the attacks on Ukraine. He expressed his willingness to be unconditional ceasefire as long as this is in line with the Ukrainian constitution. Ramaphosa, who sees itself as a potential guarantee for peace, said that South Africa and other African nations were willing to take on a broker role. Nevertheless, there are concerns about the actual influence of South Africa on the conflict resolution, especially in view of the political interdependencies of the MK party, which contest financial connections to Russia.

A joint press conference confirmed Ramaphora's demand for a comprehensive ceasefire and the need for diplomacy. Jacob Zuma, former President of South Africa, meanwhile expressed concerns that NATO countries have a significant proportion of the creation of the crisis in Ukraine. These views are represented by the MK party, whereby Demeon, an unprecedented activist from the Ukrainian community in South Africa, demands that Russia must give up its colonial demands on Ukrainian territory.

challenges of negotiations

In a further context, the ongoing difficulties in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine present the international community with considerable challenges. Despite the wish of actors such as Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz after a quick peace solution, the fault will continue to be pushed between the parties. While Vladimir Putin claims that Selenskyj had taken legal measures that have excluded negotiations, a fact check from DW makes it clear that such a ban does not exist.

The complexity of the negotiations is made more difficult by the increased demands of Russia, which includes the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from annexed regions. Political analysts like Wolfgang Ischinger point out that the solution to the conflict is only possible if both sides recognize that military means are no longer useful. Meanwhile, it is argued that clarification of the international role in these negotiations is necessary to clear out misunderstandings and to promote a peaceful solution.

Overall, the Situation around the conflict in Ukraine and the role of South Africa clearly shows that despite external efforts to mediate, deeply rooted geopolitical tensions and divergent interests significantly influence the prospect of peace.