Johnathan Paoli
THE Department of International Relations and Cooperation has confirmed that its Director-General, Zane Dangor, will be heading to the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, this week as part of the government’s diplomatic efforts to contribute to the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Dirco released a statement on Monday and said Dangor would be joined by the legal advisor to President Cyril Ramaphosa Nokukhanya Jele, in a discussion alongside other international partners with senior Ukrainian officials on Wednesday.
“The visit to Kyiv forms part of a series of high-level engagements by South Africa at the bilateral and multilateral levels and indicates South Africa’s commitment to finding a lasting solution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict,” DIRCO spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
Following the African leaders’ visit to Kyiv in June last year, Ramaphosa presented a 10-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine; however, two years since Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, the cross-border hostilities continue.
The Russian Federation recently held their elections, with leader Vladimir Putin winning a landslide 87.8% victory, beginning his fourth decade in office.
Two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has said it has recaptured 54% of occupied territory, while Russia still occupies 18 percent of the country.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive efforts have stalled, and Russia has fortified its defensive lines in eastern Ukraine, while Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities and blockade its ports, and Ukraine stepping up drone attacks on Russian ships and infrastructure.
Fighting and air strikes have inflicted over 30,000 civilian casualties, while 3.7 million people are internally displaced, and 6.5 million have fled Ukraine; culminating in over 14.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
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