By Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the launching of the missiles while they were in Kyiv will not deter them from seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict.
He said they also welcome President Volodymyr Zelensky’s openness for further engagements.
Ramaphosa said they did not believe as African leaders that their mission in Ukraine on Friday and Russia on Saturday was going to lead to the end of the conflict overnight.
He said African leaders were ready to continue in the efforts to end the conflict.
Ramaphosa and leaders from Africa met with Zelensky on Friday.
The leaders are due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday.
However, he said the fact that missiles were launched when they were on this peace mission would not stop them from pushing for a peaceful solution.
“The launching of the missiles today, in our view, does not deter us and has not stopped us from continuing to call for de-escalation. It is precisely this type of event that we saw today, we witnessed or even experienced that makes us call for de-escalation. There are offensives on both sides and we are saying those must be de-escalated as both countries proceed on the road to peace.
“The road to peace is not an easy one. It’s often a very difficult one. We also from our own country had to traverse that difficult road to peace and even when the conflict becomes most intense that is when peace should be made and be found. I specifically remember the founding father of our democracy president Nelson Mandela, who even when he was in prison and apartheid was at its highest and at its worst, he said this was the time for us to enter into negotiations to bring the nightmare of apartheid to an end,” said Ramaphosa.
He described their visit as a historic mission to find peace.
He said they were in Ukraine to listen to Zelensky and will also listen to Putin on Saturday.
The peace plan by African leaders was not the first one, he said.
There have been peace plans that have been put on the table by other countries as well.
China has put together its own peace plan to resolve the conflict.
Ramaphosa said the peace process was not an easy one and all sides would need to engage.
Current Affairs