War in Ukraine must stop, South Africa’s Ramaphosa tells Putin

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – who is in Russia as part of a peace-seeking delegation – told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the war in Ukraine must stop.

Ramaphosa laid out the 10 points of the African peace initiative that is seeking agreement on a series of “confidence-building measures” – even as Ukraine last week began a counteroffensive to push back Russian forces.

“This war has to have an end… It must be settled through negotiations and through diplomatic means,” said Ramaphosa in St Petersburg on Saturday at the 18th-century Konstantinovsky Palace.

He added his delegation, consisting of seven African leaders, “came with a very clear message: that this war has to be ended”.

“This war is having a negative impact on the African continent and indeed, on many other countries around the world,” Ramaphosa said.