President Cyril Ramaphosa says most South Africans support government’s stance on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
He made the claims in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday.
According to the president, staying neutral has placed him in a stronger position to help mediate an end to the conflict.
SA has close ties with Russia which stretch back over 30 years and include assistance the former Soviet Union gave to anti-apartheid freedom fighters.
“People in SA, in the main, do support the stance we have taken. It is largely born out of our DNA that resolves problems through negotiation, mediation and trying to bring people together.
“This is how our democracy was won and we carry that DNA forward, even into global issues and conflicts,” said Ramaphosa.
The president said SA did not condemn Russia's invasion because a “positive role is to find a solution”.
He said he was happy other countries were also choosing neutrality in the conflict.
“Fortunately we’re not alone in this. Many other countries have chosen the path we chose. The benefit of where we are is we can talk to both sides,” he said.
Most South Africans support our stance over Russia-Ukraine conflict, says Ramaphosa
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa says most South Africans support government’s stance on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
He made the claims in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday.
According to the president, staying neutral has placed him in a stronger position to help mediate an end to the conflict.
SA has close ties with Russia which stretch back over 30 years and include assistance the former Soviet Union gave to anti-apartheid freedom fighters.
“People in SA, in the main, do support the stance we have taken. It is largely born out of our DNA that resolves problems through negotiation, mediation and trying to bring people together.
“This is how our democracy was won and we carry that DNA forward, even into global issues and conflicts,” said Ramaphosa.
The president said SA did not condemn Russia's invasion because a “positive role is to find a solution”.
He said he was happy other countries were also choosing neutrality in the conflict.
“Fortunately we’re not alone in this. Many other countries have chosen the path we chose. The benefit of where we are is we can talk to both sides,” he said.
LISTEN | Ramaphosa says SA stands for ‘dialogue, mediation and negotiations' in Ukraine war
Answering questions in the National Assembly last week, Ramaphosa said : “We insist there should be mediation. There should be dialogue and negotiation.”
He emphasised SA’s non-adversarial stance, saying he had heard from Russian President Vladimir Putin that negotiations were going well.
Ramaphosa said he wanted to also speak to Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Our position is very clear. There are those who are insisting we should take a very adversarial stance and position against Russia. The approach we have decided to take, which is appreciated by many, is that we insist there should be dialogue,” he said.
“I want to speak to the president of Ukraine. We are also speaking to other world leaders. Last night while I was addressing a dinner I received a message that two other heads of states want to talk to SA so the position we have chosen can be taken forward.”
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