EXCLUSIVE | SA’s peace initiative is of little consequence, says Zelensky’s security adviser

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz has poured cold water on Pretoria's efforts to find peace in the region, claiming that while Brics nations enjoy the ear of the Kremlin, their efforts were of little consequence. 

TimesLIVE Premium travelled to Ukraine, where it met several political leaders as the country continues to fight a war with Russia after its invasion in February 2022.

The war has worsened a global cost-of-living crisis and compromised world security.

Pretoria's nonaligned stance on the war resulted in tensions with Washington that threatened trade deals including the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which contributes billions of rand towards South Africa's economy. 

Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium, President Volodymyr Zelensky's special adviser responsible for the peace process, said while Kyiv welcomed interventions from South Africa, Brazil and China, “who enjoy Moscow's ear, there is a difference on what we shall do and when we shall do it”.

“Where we stand as Ukraine, as victims of this war, we have an understanding that what we are hearing from other countries is not something that can really help. We do have an idea of where we can meet each other, in terms of finding peace.”

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa met Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in the US. 

The two leaders discussed the second leg of the peace summit and the expansion of the representation of the Global South.

In June 2023, Ramaphosa travelled to Moscow and the Ukraine on a peacekeeping mission with African leaders from Zambia, the Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal and Uganda. 

The leaders met Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin as they presented a ceasefire plan. The six-point plan was based on calls to stop the escalation and expansion of the battlefield territory, which Bevz described as valid.

However, seeing that 20% of Ukrainian territory is now occupied, Bevz revealed the military operation that Ukraine launched on Russian sovereign territory in the Kursk region was to enable Ukraine to put pressure on Russia and to regain its own territories. 

“So we cannot just have a ceasefire. In terms of building peace, we cannot just stop the frontline here, because we will face further escalation. We have a 10-point peace plan devised by President Zelensky, suggested to the world, that covers key aspects of the war and not just the battlefield.

“We speak about nuclear and energy security, food security, the human dimension, because a lot of our people are kept in Russian prisons and a lot of children were kidnapped. We also detail security of our territories, the environmental element, and we say, the only way to end this war in a just manner is to make it based on the rules that were breached when Russia embarked on its full-scale invasion.”

In an interview with the SABC in September, Ramaphosa reported that both countries' national security advisers would be meeting to iron out key elements of the proposals from Ukraine and what they believed can lead to peace, which would then be discussed more thoroughly with Russian colleagues.

“I believe that if we all embark on this journey with a level of genuineness that is necessary — then there will be some light at the end of the tunnel. It may very well be a long tunnel because one cannot put a time frame to the end of this war because both parties still believe that they can win on the battlefield,” Ramaphosa said. 

South Africa is preparing to take over the presidency of the G20 in December, where world leaders are expected to participate. This forum is likely to discuss the wars which have ravaged the globe, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israeli war in Gaza.