Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in South Africa for a state visit after recent accusations from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump alleged that Zelenskyy is prolonging the conflict with Russia by resisting any plans to hand over Ukrainian territory in a peace agreement.
Zelenskyy’s arrival in South Africa coincided with Trump’s remarks criticizing him for refusing to relinquish Crimea to Russia. Trump claimed that this stance by Zelenskyy is extending the violence in the region.
During Zelenskyy’s trip, a significant missile and drone strike by Russia struck Kyiv, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to 63 others, including six children, as reported by Ukrainian authorities.
Peace negotiations over ending war, now in its fourth year, have appeared to stall. Talks involving U.S., European and Ukrainian officials in London on Wednesday were scaled down and made limited progress after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his attendance, raising doubts about the direction of negotiations.
Zelenskyy will meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the government Union Buildings in Pretoria later Thursday and their discussions will include “areas of cooperation with the objective to support efforts to bring lasting peace,” according to Ramaphosa’s office.
Ramaphosa has put himself forward as a possible mediator in the war due to South Africa’s ties with Russia through the BRICS bloc of developing nations, although his efforts have produced little concrete progress.
Ramaphosa said he spoke on a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and the two leaders had “committed to working together towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”
Zelenskyy has questioned Russia’s commitment to peace, saying an Easter ceasefire announced by Putin was not genuine and Moscow continued to launch attacks on Ukraine.
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