PRETORIA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in South Africa on Thursday for talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa on bilateral cooperation and efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Zelensky has been trying to shore up international support for Kyiv’s war effort amid growing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who said last week that Washington could walk away if there was no clear progress on a peace deal soon.
Commenting on the visit, Zelensky posted on X that he would meet Ramaphosa as well as other political and civil representatives. “It is crucial to bring a just peace closer,” he added.
South Africa, which maintains good relations with Russia, has remained neutral in the conflict which began in 2022.
“The visit provides South Africa and Ukraine with an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations... It will also explore areas of cooperation with the objective to support efforts to bring lasting peace,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement.
Ramaphosa held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, stating on X that the two leaders had affirmed “strong bilateral relations” and a commitment to work together toward a peaceful resolution of the war.
Zelensky on Wednesday said there needed to be an immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire with Moscow repeating that Ukraine did not rule out any format of talks that could lead to a ceasefire.
Zelensky’s visit is the first by a Ukrainian head of state to South Africa. Ramaphosa and Zelensky have met multiple times including in Kyiv in 2023 as part of a mediation attempt by African leaders which did not achieve notable results.
Ukraine’s Zelensky lands in South Africa for talks on ties, peace efforts
https://arab.news/4psk3
Ukraine’s Zelensky lands in South Africa for talks on ties, peace efforts
- Zelensky posted on X that he would meet Ramaphosa as well as other political and civil representatives
- South Africa, which maintains good relations with Russia, has remained neutral in the conflict which began in 2022
Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt
- Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years
DHAKA: A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.
Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million.
Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP and is open to working with it again.
“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, days after the party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z party.
Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.
The prime minister will come from the party winning the most seats in the Feb. 12 election, he added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Rahman said.
The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.
Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.
Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all.”
He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023.
