South African President "Received Mediation Request on Ukraine Crisis, Spoke with Putin"

President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on the 10th (local time) that he has been requested to play a mediating role regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

President Ramaphosa shared this on Twitter, stating, "In a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, I emphasized that the current conflict must be resolved through mediation and negotiations."

However, he did not disclose who made the request or how he plans to mediate between the two sides.

President Ramaphosa said, "There was an approach asking South Africa to mediate based on the fact that our country and Russia are members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the five emerging economies)." He added, "President Putin appreciated our balanced approach."

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv authorities have yet confirmed South Africa's mediating role.

Major foreign media explained, "The ruling African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa has strong historical ties with the former Soviet Union, the predecessor of Russia," adding, "During the Cold War, the Soviet Union trained and supported South African anti-apartheid activists."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.