JOHANNESBURG, April 23– South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, discussing issues of mutual interest. Ramaphosa confirmed the conversation in a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, saying “Yesterday, I had the pleasure to once again interact with Russian President Vladimir Putin over a telephone call. We both affirmed the strong bilateral relations between our respective countries.” According to Ramaphosa, the two leaders expressed their commitment to seeking a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. “South Africa will continue engaging all interested and affected parties, including the government of Ukraine on finding a path to peace,” he said. The phone call came just days ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled visit to South Africa on Thursday. The South African Presidency confirmed that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be among the issues discussed during Zelensky’s visit.
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