Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) is greeted by South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor (R) as part of his official visits to Pretoria, South Africa, on January 23, 2023.
Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
- South Africa has asserted its neutral position on the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
- Russia says it is open to negotiations but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blocked all talks.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Pretoria meeting with Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says his country has always been open to negotiations with Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has banned any form of negotiations.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, almost a year ago.
Lavrov spoke in Pretoria on Monday, where he held bilateral political consultations with Foreign Relations Minister Naledi Pandor.
In his opening remarks, he said it was “well known” that Russia supported Ukraine’s proposal to negotiate early in the war.
In March, he said, two delegations “agreed on the principles to resolve the conflict.”
“It is well known; it was openly published… The deal that was almost agreed was never reviewed by Ukraine,” he said.
added:
And, as I mentioned to you, Madam Minister, in September, President Zelensky signed a decree that prohibited all Ukrainian officials from negotiating anything with the Russian Federation. So I think it is absolutely obvious that this is the origin of the lack of negotiations.
However, in fact it is not correct that Zelensky refuses to negotiate, but so far Russia has rejected his preconditions for negotiations, including the withdrawal of all troops from Ukraine, the return of occupied lands and compensation for crimes. of war. In November, Zelensky urged the international community to “force Russia into real peace talks,” the LA Times reported at the time.
South Africa has faced local and international criticism for its neutral stance on the war in Ukraine after it, along with 16 other African countries, abstained from a UN vote to condemn Russia’s invasion.
In his welcome address on Monday, Pandor took the opportunity to affirm South Africa’s position in favor of peaceful resolutions through dialogue and diplomacy.
“…We are fully aware that conflict, wherever it exists in the world, negatively affects us all…particularly on the African continent. That is why, as South Africa, we constantly articulate that we will always stand ready to support to the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the continent and throughout the world,” he said.
“It is important, therefore, that you mention on behalf of South Africa our sincere wish that the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine will soon be brought to a peaceful end through diplomacy and negotiation, as we believe this is the wish from all of us”. on the globe.”
