Voice of America
25 May 2022, 08:35 GMT+10
pretoria, south africa - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that 'bystander countries' were suffering due to sanctions against Russia and called for talks as the African Union (AU) prepared a mission to foster dialog between Moscow and Kyiv.
Ramaphosa spoke as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited South Africa on the final leg of a trip to the continent that aimed in part to rally diplomatic support for Ukraine.
South Africa has close historical ties to Moscow due to the Soviet Union's support for the anti-apartheid struggle. It abstained from a United Nations vote denouncing the invasion of Ukraine and has resisted calls to condemn Russia.
The European Union has aggressively pursued sanctions and a severing of economic ties in a bid to punish Moscow for its military operations in Ukraine, a strategy which Ramaphosa said was causing collateral damage.
'Even those countries that are either bystanders or not part of the conflict are also going to suffer from the sanctions that have been imposed against Russia,' he said during a news conference in Pretoria.
Africa, which has already seen millions pushed into extreme poverty by the pandemic, has been hit hard by rising food costs caused in part by disruptions linked to the war.
Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat and barley, and two-thirds of the world's exports of sunflower oil used for cooking. The conflict has damaged Ukraine's ports and agricultural infrastructure and that is likely to limit its agricultural production for years.
In an interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle earlier on Tuesday, Scholz called on countries to increase oil and gas supply to curb global energy price increases.
Standing beside Ramaphosa, Scholz said he was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss South Africa's position on the war but underlined that what he called an attempt by Russia to alter international borders by force was unacceptable.
'Mr. President, I think it is important that we continue these discussions intensively,' he said. 'We are very concerned about the outcome of the war for Africa.'
Senegal's President Macky Sall - the current chairman of Africa's top political bloc, the AU - said on Sunday he was preparing to visit Kyiv and Moscow to foster peace.
Ramaphosa, who has been invited to attend the G-7 summit being hosted by Germany next month, said the only way to resolve the war is through dialog and Africa 'does have a role to play because it has access to both leaders (of Ukraine and Russia).
Get a daily dose of Cape Town Express news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Cape Town Express.
More InformationLONDON, England: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that in order to move millions of tonnes of grain ...
YANGON, Myanmar: Myanmar's military authorities have transferred deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a prison in the capital Naypyitaw ...
MALDIVES, Male: Police used tear gas and pepper spray this week to control a crowd who disrupted a yoga event ...
SEOUL, South Korea: After a first test launch failed last year, this week officials said South Korea's second test launch ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering U.S. insulin costs will be put to a vote on the Senate floor ...
MOSCOW, Russia: The UK newspaper, the Telegraph, has been blocked in Russia, following a request from the Russian prosecutor-general.The TASS ...
Cape Town [South Africa], June 27 (ANI): Children as young as 13 years old were among the twenty-two people found ...
Munich [Germany], June 27 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Germany visit is packed with meetings with G7 leaders and partner ...
South African police are investigating the deaths of at least 20 people at a nightclub in the coastal town of ...
Dublin [Ireland], June 26 (ANI): Team India skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first against Ireland ...
© Provided by Xinhua South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday afternoon mourned for the death of "22 teenagers" at ...
The cause of the tragedy remains unknownAt least 22 people were found dead in a nightclub in the South African ...