If President Cyril Ramaphosa wanted to act as mediator in the Russian war on Ukraine he would have to listen to both sides, something which he has not done, Ukraine’s ambassador to SA Liubov Abravitova said Friday.
Answering questions after a speech at the Cape Town Press Club, Abravitova confirmed that Ramaphosa has not spoken to Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that despite her informal requests she has not yet had a meeting with minister of international relations and co-operation Naledi Pandor.
Abravitova said Ramaphosa “is a very influential and experienced mediator and I am sure he knows he has to listen to both sides.”
Ramaphosa made a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to understand the situation in Ukraine and said that SA had been asked to act as mediator by an undisclosed party based on its relations with Russia and its membership of Brics. SA’s position on the war is that the “conflict” should be resolved through mediation and negotiation and abstained from the United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia for its aggression against Ukraine.
Abravitova hoped that Putin had explained to Ramaphosa the situation that was unfolding on the ground in Ukraine.
She questioned why SA, as the beacon of democracy on the African continent and the upholder of human rights, called the “violence, murders and crimes against humanity” being perpetrated by Russia against Ukrainians as a “conflict” and whether this would have been the approach adopted by former president Nelson Mandela. “Or maybe this is the new trend of mediation where you engage with only one aggressor and terrorist state who is violating all possible norms of international law?”
She said SA had experience in peaceful transformation and reconciliation which would be needed by the Russians and Ukrainians. She believed that diplomacy by the international community could play a role.
If SA supported Ukraine, it would be able to take the whole of Africa on board.
While Russia’s role in the anti-apartheid struggle has been emphasised by the ANC, Abravitova said Ukraine had also played a role in this.
Abravitova said Ukraine wanted to negotiate on the basis of international law and for Russia to respect its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Negotiations could not take place while Russian troops were in the country.
On Ukraine’s sought-after membership of Nato, Abravitova said this was in the country's constitution and that the people of Ukraine were supportive of this in the face of Russian aggression. It was something that the nation would have to decide upon.
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