(24 Apr 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pretoria, South Africa – 24 April 2025
1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa outside Union Buildings
2. Zelenskyy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at media briefing
3. Zelenskyy and Ramaphosa at podium
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Cyril Ramaphosa, South African President:
“I last spoke to President Trump in January, as he was going to be inaugurated when I congratulated him. We’ve had a second call now, which was a very cordial discussion, and of course, as President Zelenskyy is paying a visit here, the issue of the war in Ukraine and Russia came up and we discussed that as well. As well as many other issues that we we touched on.”
5. Various of media during briefing
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Cyril Ramaphosa, South African President:
"We believe that the U.S. has an important role to play, as does Europe, and indeed as other countries as well who have been making a number of initiatives regarding this war. China and Brazil, as well as the African countries who went to Moscow and Kyiv. So all of us have a role to play and we would urge everyone to continue playing a role because peace is important.
7. Wide of end of briefing
8. Zelenskyy and Ramaphosa shaking hands
STORYLINE:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa met at the presidential palace in Pretoria on Thursday for bilateral talks.
At a media briefing after the talks, Ramaphosa emphasized the significance of global collaboration in bringing Russia’s war on Ukraine to an end.
"We believe that the U.S. has an important role to play, as does Europe, and indeed as other countries as well who have been making a number of initiatives regarding this war, Ramaphosa said."
He also confirmed that he had a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, which he referred to as a "cordial discussion."
Ramaphosa had earlier posted on social media that he and Trump had agreed to meet soon.
Relations between South Africa and the U.S. have deteriorated since Trump took office earlier this year.
Trump has criticized South Africa’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, which has seen the country take Israel to the International Court of Justice and accuse it of committing genocide in Gaza.
Trump has also signed an executive order stopping all financial aid to South Africa and slapped South Africa with 37% trade tariffs on its exports to the U.S., which he subsequently paused for 90 days.
He has falsely accused South Africa of illegally seizing farms owned by white Afrikaner farmers after it enacted the Expropriation Act, which empowers the government to expropriate land for public use.
And he has offered to facilitate the resettlement of white Afrikaner farmers who wish to leave South Africa and move to the U.S.
Last month, the U.S. expelled Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the U.S., over his criticism of Trump, who has hinted that he may not attend the G20 summit of world leaders scheduled to take place in Johannesburg in November.
AP video shot by Alfonso Nqunjana
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