Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin extended congratulations to South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa on his re-election as president on Monday, underscoring the continued strong relations with Pretoria despite ongoing uncertainties due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Hope was expressed for continued joint work on further strengthening of the partnership between Russia and South Africa in all its aspects,” stated the Kremlin website, referring to Putin’s telephone call to Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa was re-elected by parliament on Friday. However, his African National Congress party’s failure to secure a majority in last month’s election for the first time in 30 years led to the formation of a coalition government currently composed of five parties.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, both Russia and Ukraine have sought to garner support from African nations, with their foreign ministers undertaking several regional tours.
South Africa’s historical ties with Moscow, similar to those of many African states, date back to the Soviet era when Moscow supported liberation movements and the fight to end apartheid, led by the ANC. Initially, South Africa denounced Russia’s February 2022 invasion but has since adopted a more nuanced stance, abstaining from several U.N. General Assembly votes condemning Russian actions.
Over the weekend, South Africa attended the Swiss-hosted “peace summit” on Ukraine but declined to sign the final communique, along with India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia, despite the omission of some contentious issues to attract broader support.
South Africa faced a dilemma as host of a 2023 BRICS meeting, considering inviting Putin despite an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest on allegations of deporting Ukrainian children.
