Ramaphosa in Poland for Africa-led Russia/Ukraine peace talks

WARSAW — President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived at Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland on Thursday to begin a working visit to Poland and Ukraine.

The Presidency tweeted a video of Ramaphosa disembarking from the presidential jet, Inkwazi, on Thursday afternoon.

Ramaphosa and heads of state from Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and the Republic of Congo are leading a peace mission in a bid to broker peace after Russia invaded the Ukraine in February last year.

On Tuesday night Ramaphosa attended the World of Work Summit, hosted by the International Labour Organisation, in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the peace initiative this week, Ramaphosa is expected to meet Ukraine and Russian presidents Volodomir Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in an attempt to bring a negotiated end to the war.

Accompanying Ramaphosa was a SAA flight carrying South African journalists which left South Africa on Wednesday night. Two hours before landing in Warsaw, the flight was flagged by Italian airspace authorities, forcing it to double back and

fly in circles about six times because it did not have clearance to fly over Italy.

The plane landed in Poland after midday. Upon arrival the crew were told that they could not disembark due to issues with a plane that was meant to take them to the city of Rzesow.