South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday held a series of high-level discussions with European leaders aimed at bolstering diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexandar Stubb.
“In all the discussions European leaders openly shared their perspectives, appreciated South Africa’s role in engaging with both sides to the conflict and provided President Ramaphosa with a firm commitment to supporting efforts aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine,” the Presidency said.
Additional consultations with other European heads of state are expected in the coming weeks.
The calls followed a round of meetings hosted earlier this month by US President Donald Trump who met separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Zelenskyy and several European leaders.
Ramaphosa also received a direct briefing from Putin last week, underscoring South Africa’s growing involvement in backchannel diplomacy.
In his telephone conversations with the European leaders, Ramaphosa noted the urgency of convening bilateral and trilateral meetings between Russia, Ukraine and the US, describing such engagements as critical to signalling a genuine commitment to peace.
South Africa has consistently advocated for dialogue and de-escalation since the outbreak of the war in February 2022.
Ramaphosa was part of the African Peace Initiative delegation that met with both Zelenskyy and Putin in 2023, and has continued to engage global leaders on pathways to a ceasefire and long-term stability.
The latest round of diplomacy comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September where global attention is expected to refocus on the conflict and its wider geopolitical implications.
JN/APA