Phumzile Van Damme on Ukraine-Russia tensions: ‘We will do just fine, we will thrive’

Former DA MP Phumzile Van Damme has shared words of encouragement amid ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia. 

Van Damme was reacting to US President Joe Biden’s announcement on new sanctions imposed against Russia. 

“The thing about the human race is that we evolve in times of crisis. Our lives have always been about evolution. It is how we have overcome adversity through millennia. We will do just fine. Better than fine. We will thrive,” she tweeted on Tuesday. 

On Tuesday, Biden said the US will no longer accept oil, gas and energy from Russia.

“We are banning all imports of Russian oil and gas. The ban on Russian oil and gas has strong bipartisan support in Congress and in the country. Americans have rallied to support the people of Ukraine and made it clear we will not be part of subsidising [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war.

"A united response to Putin’s war has been our overriding focus to keep all our EU and Nato allies united,” said Biden. 

The SA government abstained from voting on a UN resolution that sought to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It claimed the text did not make room for mediation between the affected countries.

This response was met with condemnation and accusations that SA supported Putin’s war against Ukraine.

In his weekly newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated government’s stance that Russia and Ukraine should resolve their issues amicably without the use of violence. 

“There have been some who have said that in abstaining from the vote, SA has placed itself on the wrong side of history.

“Yet, SA is firmly on the side of peace at a time when another war is something the world does not need, nor can it afford. The results of these hostilities will be felt globally and for many years to come,” said Ramaphosa.