Last week the President Zelensky made a historic first visiting Africa seeking for help on abducted children by Russia.
South Africa positioned itself as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine conflict last year, at a conference in Montreal. The country agreed to lead the coalition for the return and the rescue of the children from Ukraine deported to Russia. The ultimate objective of the Coalition is to bring Ukrainian children home to their families and communities. This has been done in compliance with international law and the support of 44 countries.
Thousands of children are reported to have been illegally deported or forcibly transferred. The large-scale displacement, transfer or illegal abductions of Ukrainian children is undisputed. So far, fewer than 400 children have been successfully returned to Ukraine from Russia, of an estimated thousands.
During President Zelensky’s visit, President Cyril Ramaphosa took the opportunity to discuss the peace process in phone calls with President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
If there is one thing our history has taught us, it is that diplomacy and dialogue are more powerful than any weapon, Ramaposa said, citing the negotiations in the late 1980s and early 1990s that led to the end of apartheid.
The call was a surprise to many observers because Mr. Trump has been critical of South Africa after false allegations about seized farmland from white farmers.
Ramaposa praised Zelensky for agreeing ceasefire in the war with Russia.
An unconditional ceasefire set a very good and positive tone for negotiations to commence. It is a confidence-building measure that should be a key ingredient in a negotiation process. So I see this as great progress, says South African president.
Later in a press conference, Zelensky, however, said that Russia violated an earlier ceasefire. It is in Moscow where they have to decide on giving the necessary orders to the Russian army, he said.
Zelensky asked South Africa, the current chair of the G20 group of countries, to seek the G20’s assistance in diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.
On Saturday, in Rome, after the Pope’s funeral ceremony, President Zelensky met with President Trump to talk about the ceasefire. During the meeting, the US President expressed doubts about Vladimir Putin’s willingness to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, even though the Russian president has assured that he is ready to negotiate “without any preconditions” to achieve this.
There was no reason for Putin to fire missiles at civilian areas, cities, and villages in recent days. This makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war and is just messing with me, and then we need to do something else, said Donald Trump on his Truth Social network on Saturday.
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Source : Zelensky makes history with first visit to Africa, seeks help on abducted children. Jeffrey York, Johannesburg bureau, Canadian Globe and Mail Friday, paril 25, 2025,
