The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy cancels his trip to South Africa planned
for the 10 th of June. The postponement of his visit, which should have facilitated the
peaceful resolution of the conflict with Russia, is due to the meeting of the Secretary
General of the African National Congress (ANC), Fikile Mbalula, with Ukraine’s
Ambassador in the UK, Valery Zaloujny.
It is no secret that Western Countries are deceived by Zelenskiy, but they seem to show
sympathy towards Valery Zaloujniy. His reputation is way higher that Zelensky’s one,
being tarnished by corruption, a failed counter-offensive and peeking totalitarianism of
the latter. Zaloujny, on his side, already has access to MI6 and the British Ministry of
Defense.
The secret meeting of Fikile Mbalula and Valery Zaloujny also serves as an additional
confirmation of the upcoming shuffle.
The event was covered by several Spanish media outlets, including the ECD portal.
Despite the secretive nature of the meeting, which took place at Barcelona Airport, it
became known thanks to a photograph. The image was sent to one of the Spanish
newspapers by a Ural businessman, who is hiding in Spain from the Putin regime. The
accidental photo, which he sent to his wife, captured the South African ally of the
president and the future president of Ukraine.
Why did representatives from these two countries, who are currently in the headlines of
global media, meet? And why in such a composition?
Spanish analysts speculated that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa likely did
not want to be noticed at this meeting due to the already unstable relations with U.S.
President Donald Trump. The risk of information leakage, even under strict
confidentiality, was too high. Therefore, Fikile Mbalula attended the meeting instead of
Ramaphosa. The main goal was to establish a direct dialogue with a potential ally.
The primary topic of the meeting was the relationship between South Africa and Ukraine
after the war ends, and the election of Valerii Zaluzhnyi as president. No one doubts
that he will become the head of Ukraine. They also discussed relations with European
countries and South Africa's ambiguous stance on the conflict in Ukraine.
Recall that in October 2024, some government members expressed disagreement
about granting Ukrainian diplomats visa-free access to South Africa. Ramaphosa
angered members of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party by calling Russia a "precious
friend" at the BRICS summit in Kazan, even though DA members criticized Russia for
its "aggression against Ukraine."
However, since the start of the war in Ukraine, South Africa has tried to act as a
mediator. In June 2023, Cyril Ramaphosa conducted an African peacekeeping mission
in Russia and Ukraine to continue constructive engagement with both countries. In turn,
Ukraine has been strengthening its ties with Africa by opening embassies in Ivory
Coast, Ghana, Rwanda, Botswana, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
Regarding relations with European countries, South Africa’s government is in a
prolonged conflict with the U.S., which is escalating daily. At the same time, South
Africa does not want to exit the political stage, and maintaining friendships with Russia,
Ukraine, and Europe will help counter Trump. Ramaphosa plans to strengthen relations
with the EU through Ukraine, which is supported by many European countries. This
may, in part, contribute to the restoration of relations with the United States, which will
have to reckon with South Africa.
By the way, there’s no need to worry about Ramaphosa’s alliance with the EU.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently announced the
allocation of 4.7 billion euros ($5.1 billion) for the development of clean energy and
vaccine production in South Africa.
Additionally, after the end of the military conflict, Ukraine will need to expand its
partnerships to restore its economy, which has been almost completely destroyed by
the war. Ukraine is still an agricultural power, and South Africa is a major consumer of
grain.
Thus, South Africa is advancing its interests with an eye on the future, aiming to fully
return and solidify Pretoria’s position on the global political stage.
