Zelenskyy to get South African state visit
The Brics country says peace talks can’t happen without Ukraine taking an equal seat at the table.
After three years of keeping Ukraine at arm’s length, South Africa now says it would like to welcome President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a state visit.
The Mail & Guardian reported recently that the formal invitation was extended on 15 January. This followed meetings last year between Zelenskyy and South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the United Nations General Assembly and World Economic Forum.
The newspaper quoted Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, saying: “The president wants that visit to happen as soon as possible.”
Such a public embrace is out of keeping with South Africa’s recent history. When Russia invaded Ukraine it issued a condemnation which was then quickly deleted. As an ally of Russia through Brics it seemed to be at pains to sit things out.
Now, Magwenya says Ramaphosa is “more than happy” to facilitate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. “No peace can hold unless all parties are involved and they have to be involved equally in the process. That is the only way in which you can resolve a conflict in a manner that is long-lasting.”
That choice of wording came as the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to unilaterally decide on the future of Ukraine. By retreating from Ukraine and Europe, the US can afford tax breaks for billionaires, get gas contracts in Siberia, and focus its military on China.
The state visit also comes as US leaders have focused their megaphones on South Africa, spreading lies about a non-existent white Afrikaner genocide, while cutting all aid and threatening a trade war.