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South Africa is set to host Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on a state visit, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed on X, though no date has been announced.
The invitation follows a week in which Kyiv was notably excluded from US-Russia talks on ending the three-year war in Ukraine.
In a phone call, Ramaphosa and Zelensky “agreed on the urgent need for an inclusive peace process,” according to the South African presidency. Zelensky echoed this, stating, “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
South Africa, often accused of aligning too closely with Moscow, has sought to play a mediating role in the conflict. In 2023, Ramaphosa led a delegation of seven African nations—including Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, and Uganda—to meet both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to push for peace.
Despite its historical ties with Russia and its membership in the BRICS bloc alongside Brazil, India, and China, South Africa has attempted to position itself as a neutral facilitator in global diplomacy.
Ramaphosa, in a post on X, said, “I welcome the constructive engagement I had with President Zelensky and I look forward to hosting him in South Africa soon for a state visit.”
Zelensky, in turn, expressed gratitude for “South Africa’s support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” adding, “We all hope to achieve a just and lasting peace this year.”
While Ramaphosa and Zelensky have maintained regular dialogue since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022—including in-person meetings—this is the first concrete step toward a state visit. Zelensky had previously expressed interest in visiting South Africa during a December interview with African journalists, where he quipped, “I will be in Pretoria with pleasure, but you must ask Mr. Ramaphosa because I think he is more busy.”
Dr. Oscar van Heerden, a political analyst at the University of Johannesburg, described the visit as a “brilliant” diplomatic move by South Africa. He noted that it not only provides Kyiv a global platform amid US-Russia talks but also asserts South Africa’s relevance on the world stage.
“Ramaphosa is being clever,” van Heerden said. “Donald Trump may try to dismiss South Africa as a small African country, but we are once again proving that we can operate above our station internationally.”
Zelensky’s continued outreach to world leaders comes amid growing tensions with the US, which Ukraine considers a key ally. Those tensions escalated this week when Trump accused Zelensky of being a “dictator” who has “done a terrible job.”
South Africa, too, has seen its relations with the US sour, particularly after the Trump administration cut aid over the country’s new land expropriation law. Ramaphosa, however, has remained defiant, stating that South Africa “will not be bullied.”
