President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed appreciation for the high-level telephone discussion he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address both the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict and the future of strategic ties between South Africa and the Russian Federation.

The call was initiated at Putin’s request to brief Ramaphosa on recent developments in peace efforts and to explore matters of mutual bilateral interest.

“President Putin expressed his recognition and appreciation for South Africa’s involvement in advancing a peace process between Russia and Ukraine. President Ramaphosa welcomed the briefing and expressed South Africa’s full support to peace initiatives that will end the war and contribute to a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine,” the Presidency stated.

The Russian leader highlighted Pretoria’s continued engagement through multilateral forums and its participation in the African Peace Initiative, a diplomatic effort launched in 2023 that brought African leaders to both Ukraine and Russia to advocate for humanitarian corridors, prisoner exchanges and the de-escalation of hostilities.

There have been ongoing efforts to address not only the cessation of hostilities but also broader issues of food security and energy stability, both of which have been disrupted by the war and carry major implications for African economies.

South Africa has consistently taken a non-aligned stance in the conflict, advocating for multilateralism and adherence to the UN Charter while avoiding alignment with Western sanctions regimes.

Beyond the Ukraine peace process, the two presidents also discussed the trajectory of South Africa–Russia relations.

The Presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa and Putin “agreed to further their discussions on moving forward the strategic relationship between their two countries”.

The partnership has historical roots in Moscow’s support for the anti-apartheid struggle, and today spans cooperation in trade, defence, education, science and nuclear energy.

Both nations are active members of BRICS where they have jointly called for reform of global governance institutions and greater representation for developing economies in decision-making bodies.

For Russia, strengthening South–South relations is seen as a way to mitigate Western isolation, while South Africa benefits from alternative markets and technology-sharing opportunities.

The call comes just months after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited South Africa in April, the first such trip by a Ukrainian head of state to the continent.

That visit was partially cut short following a deadly Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv, yet Zelensky vowed to maintain close contact with Pretoria, particularly as South Africa holds the G20 presidency this year.

Pretoria has indicated that it views its position at the helm of the G20 as an opportunity to amplify the perspectives of the Global South in addressing global security and development challenges.

The Presidency confirmed that Ramaphosa and Putin will maintain direct contact as the situation develops.

INSIDE POLITICS

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South Africa urged G20 countries to show global and cooperative leadership to tackle challenges including rising trade barriers, as the club’s finance chiefs met on Thursday under the shadow of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

The G20, which emerged as a forum for cooperation to combat the 2008 global financial crisis, has for years been hobbled by disputes among key players that have been exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine and Western sanctions on Moscow.

Host South Africa, under its presidency’s motto “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, has aimed to promote an African agenda, with topics including the high cost of capital and funding for climate change action.

In opening remarks, South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the G20 must provide strategic global leadership, cooperation and action in the face of complex challenges.

“We have a critical role to play in revitalising and strengthening multilateralism by fostering inclusive dialogue, reinforcing rules-based cooperation and driving collective action in global challenges that no country can solve alone,” he said.

“The need for bold cooperative leadership has never been greater.”

Questions, however, are lingering over the ability of the finance chiefs and central bankers meeting in the coastal city of Durban to tackle those issues and others together. The G20 aims to coordinate policies, but its agreements are non-binding.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not attend the two-day meeting, his second absence from a G20 event in South Africa this year.

Bessent also skipped February’s Cape Town gathering, where several officials from China, Japan and Canada were also absent, even though Washington is due to assume the G20 rotating presidency at the end of the year.

Michael Kaplan, acting undersecretary for international affairs, will represent the United States at the meetings.

A G20 delegate, who asked not to be named, said Bessent’s absence was not ideal but that the U.S. was engaging in discussions on trade, the global economy and climate language.

Finance ministers from India, France and Russia are also set to miss the Durban meeting.

South Africa’s central bank governor Lesetja Kganyago said that representation was what mattered most.

“What matters is, is there somebody with a mandate sitting behind the flag and are all countries represented with somebody sitting behind the flag?” Kganyago told Reuters.

U.S. officials have said little publicly about their plans for the presidency next year, but one source familiar with them said Washington would reduce the number of non-financial working groups and streamline the summit schedule.

TARIFF SHADOW

Trump’s tariff policies have torn up the global trade rule book and clouded the economic outlook. With baseline levies of 10% on all U.S. imports and targeted rates as high as 50% on steel and aluminium, 25% on autos and potential levies on pharmaceuticals, extra tariffs on more than 20 countries are slated to take effect on August 1.

His threat to impose further 10% tariffs on BRICS nations — of which eight are G20 members — has raised fears of fragmentation within global forums.

Germany’s Bundesbank chief said the central bank’s expectation of 0.7% growth in Europe’s largest economy next year could be eaten up if tariffs of 30% threatened by Trump were implemented.

“If tariffs materialise in August, a recession in Germany in 2025 cannot be ruled out,” Joachim Nagel told Reuters in Durban.

Trump’s attacks on U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was causing concern too in Durban, with Nagel warning against interfering with the independence of central banks.

On the broader agenda, South Africa’s Treasury Director General Duncan Pieterse said the G20 hoped to issue the first communique under the South African G20 presidency by the end of the meetings.

The G20 was last able to collectively issue a communique a year ago.

Reuters

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Foreign ministers from the BRICS group of developing nations met on Monday to discuss a shared defense of the global trade system, coordinating their response to the barrage of new tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The meeting in Rio de Janeiro is expected to produce a joint statement criticizing “unilateral measures” on trade from the group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and recently expanded to include six more nations.

“The ministers are negotiating a declaration to reaffirm the centrality of… multilateral trade negotiations as the main axis of action in trade,” Brazilian Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio said. “They will reaffirm their criticism of unilateral measures of any origin, which has been a longstanding position of BRICS countries.”

The expanded BRICS group, which added Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran last year, faces daunting challenges from U.S. trade actions.

China, which was hit with 145% tariffs on its exports to the United States, has pushed for a harsher tone in the communique but, according to a source familiar with negotiations, the final text will be critical but not confrontational.

The BRICS group as a whole has come under fire from Trump, who threatened another 100% in tariffs if the bloc moves ahead with a single currency to replace the dollar in trade relations.

Brazil has already dropped the pursuit of a common currency in its BRICS presidency, Reuters reported in February, although its agenda may pave the way for less reliance on the U.S. dollar in global trade.

With an eye on the United Nations climate summit Brazil is hosting in November, the BRICS ministers also will discuss a shared position on climate finance, a key priority for Brazil’s presidency.

Major developing nations including China face growing pressure from wealthier nations to contribute to financing adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the poorest countries.

“What is not on the agenda is the revision of which countries have to pay for the energy transition and the countries that can eventually, voluntarily, also finance it. This distinction is absolutely fundamental,” said Lyrio.

“The financial obligation to finance the fight against climate change and the energy transition in developing countries lies with rich countries,” he added.

Reuters

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