Ukraine's Zelenskiy to visit South Africa for talks in April
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FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend a joint press conference with other African leaders, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Pho
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will hold talks in South Africa with President Cyril Ramaphosa on April 10, Ramaphosa's spokesman said on Friday, as the Ukrainian leader tries to shore up international support after the U.S. halted all military aid.
South Africa seeks to project itself as non-aligned on the Ukraine war but has good relations with Russia, with both countries belonging to the BRICS group of emerging economies - which also includes China, India, Brazil and others - that is trying to challenge the Western-dominated economic order.
South Africa has refused to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine three years ago and has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on the war.
"The visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by President Ramaphosa with President Putin and President Zelenskiy on an inclusive ... process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine," spokesman Vincent Magwenya told Reuters.
The U.S. ambassador to South Africa in 2023 accused the country of shipping arms to Russia in breach of its professed neutrality. An inquiry found no evidence that a Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town.
Zelenskiy's planned visit to South Africa comes at a pivotal moment in the war, following his public feud with Donald Trump in the White House last Friday and the U.S. president's decision to halt Washington's military aid to Kyiv.
Trump has stepped up efforts to end the war and also to improve U.S. relations with Russia, prompting European leaders on Thursday to back plans to spend more on defence and reaffirm their determination to stand by Ukraine.
(Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning and Gareth Jones)
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