South African President Talks with Putin About Ukraine and Ties Between Their Countries

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about the war in Ukraine and ways to bring their nations closer together.

Putin reached out for the conversation, which covered finding peace in Ukraine and growing ties between South Africa and Russia. 

Ramaphosa listened as Putin shared updates on the Ukraine situation, and he made it clear that South Africa supports efforts to end the conflict through peaceful talks.

“Cyril really pushed for solving this war with diplomacy,” his office shared. South Africa has long called for calm discussions to stop the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has driven up food and energy prices worldwide, hitting African countries especially hard.

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They also chatted about strengthening their countries’ friendship, as both are part of the BRICS group, a club of growing economies. They tossed around ideas about boosting trade, encouraging investments, and teaming up in global meetings.

Their connection goes way back to when the Soviet Union supported South Africa’s fight against apartheid. Putin also mentioned a recent talk with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, thanking African nations, including South Africa, for their peace efforts.

With South Africa leading the G20 this year, Ramaphosa is working to put developing nations’ needs on the global map. This call comes after his April 2025 talk with U.S. President Donald Trump, where they both agreed the Ukraine war needs to stop soon to save lives.

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Even with tough issues at home, like economic struggles and power outages, Ramaphosa is keeping South Africa in the global conversation. The leaders promised to keep talking to build their partnership, though they didn’t announce any new deals.