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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting African leaders in Kyiv on Friday that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdraws its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy added that he failed to understand what could be gained from the leaders meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in St. Petersburg. "We need real peace, and therefore, a real withdrawal of Russian troops from our entire independent land." Ukraine stood by its own peace initiative, based on a complete Russian withdrawal, but invited the African leaders to take part in an international peace summit that is being drawn up. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the leaders had come "to share the African perspective" and saw talks with Russia as part of the mission.
Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Cyril Ramaphosa, Nelson Mandela Organizations: Moscow Locations: Kyiv, Russia, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, South Africa, Comoros
African leaders arrive for Ukraine talks with Russia's Putin
  + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
June 17 (Reuters) - African leaders hoping to mediate in the Ukraine conflict were welcomed to a government palace near St Petersburg on Saturday by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said after meeting the leaders in Kyiv on Friday that peace talks with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdrew its forces from occupied Ukrainian territory. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in Kyiv that the leaders had come "to share the African perspective" and saw talks with Russia as part of the mission. Television footage showed them shaking hands with Putin and then being welcomed into a room with a circular conference table. The African leaders are seeking agreement on a series of "confidence building measures" even as Ukraine last week began a counteroffensive to push back Russian forces from Ukrainian territory they occupy.
Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Cyril Ramaphosa, Putin, South Africa's, Nelson Mandela, Kevin Liffey, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Moscow, Putin, South, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, St Petersburg, Kyiv, Russia, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, Congo Republic, South Africa, Gulf of Finland
CNN —African leaders hoping to mediate in the Ukraine war met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg Saturday. The delegation aims to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table despite both of them playing down the possibility. Many African countries have been impacted by the Ukraine war, well into its second year, in particular with grain prices soaring. A statement released by the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed his arrival in St. Petersburg, alongside the leaders of Zambia, the Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal, and Uganda. The leaders visited Kyiv on Friday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ramaphosa, Zelensky, Organizations: CNN, Petersburg, South, Kyiv, Ukrainian, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Russian, St, St . Petersburg, Zambia, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda, Russia, Africa, Kyiv,
Ukraine's National Resistance Center said 150 children were taken on June 8 from the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine to facilities on Russian territory, where 750 Ukrainian children were expected to arrive this month. Kyiv says nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia, something that Washington has warned constitutes a war crime. NBC has not been able to verify the situation on the ground. Russia is ramping up security for an annual economic forum in St. Petersburg where President Vladimir Putin is set to speak on Friday. Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Kyiv with an African peace mission to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Resistance Center, NBC, South Locations: Russian, Luhansk, Ukraine, Russia, Washington, St . Petersburg, Kyiv
KYIV, June 16 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine on Friday as part of an African peace mission, the South African presidency said on Twitter. Ramaphosa is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and then travel to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday. The South African presidency posted footage of Ramaphosa arriving by train in the Bucha area near Kyiv after travelling via Poland. Along with Senegal President Macky Sall, Ramaphosa is heading a delegation including leaders from Zambia, the Comoros, and Egypt's prime minister. The peace mission could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during initial efforts at mediation, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters.
Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Macky Sall, Putin, Pavel Polityuk, Timothy Organizations: Twitter, Ukrainian, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, St Petersburg, Bucha, Kyiv, Poland, Russian, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Belarus
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and African leaders on a peace mission to Kyiv had testy exchanges on Friday on how to end the war with Russia, hours after Russian forces fired missiles at the capital while the African heads of government were there. The African leaders spoke of hope and dialogue after talking with Mr. Zelensky, but the Ukrainian leader ruled out peace talks until Moscow withdraws its troops from occupied territory, and he called for Russia to be frozen out diplomatically. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa laid out a plan for de-escalation of fighting by both countries, a prisoner exchange, the return of children taken from Ukraine and the free flow of grain and fertilizer to world markets. But toward the end of their joint news conference, Mr. Zelensky said he did not clearly understand the “road map” mentioned by the visiting leaders, who will meet with President Vladimir V. Putin on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Russia. “I don’t want to have any surprises because tomorrow, you’ll have conversations with the terrorist, and then this terrorist will have proposals to you,” Mr. Zelensky said.
Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Cyril Ramaphosa of, Vladimir V, Putin, , Mr Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, St . Petersburg
CNN —An African delegation on a peace mission to Ukraine headed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was greeted with explosions and forced to shelter in bunkers amid air strikes on the capital Kyiv. The African leaders are expected to travel to Russia Saturday to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin. “Russia’s missile attack took place just as African leaders arrived in the capital,” Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Friday. He has also come under fire after the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, said South Africa supplied arms to Russia in December last year. He added that the future of this agreement would be discussed at his meeting with the African leaders on Saturday.
Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, , ” Andriy Yermak, “ Putin, , Joe Biden, Antonio Guterres, ” Yermak, ” Ramaphosa, Macky Sall, Hichilema, Azali Assoumani, Andriy Kostin, Valentyn Ogirenko, Andrzej Duda, Ramaphosa, Reuben Brigety, Vincent Magwenya, Putin, Moscow, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, South, UN, Russia, Ukraine's, Reuters, Polish Border Guard, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, , Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Egypt, Congo, Uganda, Africa, Bucha, Poland’s, Warsaw, Poland, South Africa, America, Latin America
Summary African leaders travel to Ukraine and Russia Friday and SaturdayAiming to begin "diplomacy-led" process to resolve conflictAfrica hit hard by economic fallout of warJOHANNESBURG, June 15 (Reuters) - African leaders could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during their initial efforts to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday. "The conflict, as well as the sanctions placed on Russia by major trading partners of the (African) Continent, have had an adverse effect on African economies and livelihoods," it said. The document lists a number of measures that could be proposed by the African leaders as part of the first stage of their engagement with the warring parties. The African peace effort is just one of several competing initiatives aimed at ending the fighting. Among the measures that could be proposed by the African leaders in the first stage of their engagement was an "unconditional grain and fertiliser deal".
Persons: Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Antonio Guterres, Ramaphosa, It's, Guterres, Zelenskiy, Michelle Nichols, Tom Balmforth, Joe Bavier, Olivia Kumwenda, Mark Potter, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Ukrainian, Global, NATO, United, Johannesburg, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Kyiv, St, Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, China, Moscow, United Nations, Turkey
In a response to Reuters questions, South Africa's national treasury said it, along with President Cyril Ramaphosa's office, had appointed a consultant that it did not name to find ways to resolve the issue. It would also allow the decommissioning of three power plants, which the government is considering delaying because of the shortages of generation capacity. Rudi Dicks, the head of project management at the South African presidency, said there was a need to "clarify as a matter of urgency" whether the international loans could be accepted. Of the $8.5 billion pledged to South Africa, $3 billion is from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), a leading multilateral investor in developing countries. In a statement it said it remained "committed to supporting South Africa's just transition from coal to clean power".
Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa's, Rudi Dicks, Promit Mukherjee, Carien du Plessis, Olivia Kumwenda, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Union, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Partners, Investment Funds, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Britain, France, Germany, United States, South Africa, Africa
US lawmakers call for S.Africa to lose summit over Russia ties
  + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +3 min
Referring to the letter, South African foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela said on Twitter: "There is no decision by the State Department/White House to move the AGOA Forum from SA." South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, which manages the country's trade relations with the United States, said it was not planning to respond publicly to the letter. South Africa's government has declared its neutrality in the war in Ukraine, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is participating in an effort by African leaders to mediate in the conflict. The lawmakers also appeared to back up an accusation by the U.S. ambassador to South Africa that a sanctioned Russian vessel collected weapons at a South African naval base last year. South African officials say they are not aware of such an arms transfer and have launched an independent inquiry into the incident.
Persons: Russia S.Africa, Antony Blinken, AGOA, Clayson Monyela, Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin, Antony Blinken's, Joe Bavier, Carien du, William Maclean Organizations: AGOA, Twitter, State Department, White, SA, Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, South, International Criminal, U.S, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, U.S, Africa, Washington, Russia, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, South, Nigeria, Ukraine, United States, China, Russian
London-based Black Seed has raised $6.25 million to back early-stage Black founders. The fund wants to create a "Black Silicon Valley" in London by investing in seed-stage startups. Black Seed, a VC fund dedicated to backing Black founders in the UK, has raised $6.25 million to invest in early-stage tech. Based out of Brixton, south London, Black Seed is the brainchild of Cyril Lutterodt and Karl Lokko. Black Seed has indicated that intends to raise the full amount.
Persons: Cyril Lutterodt, Karl Lokko, Lutterodt, We've, Lokko, hasn't, Black, haven't Organizations: Molten Ventures, Ventures, University of Texas, WestRiver Locations: London, Brixton, Manchester, Europe, Atomico, Black, Soho, Mayfair
JOHANNESBURG, June 12 (Reuters) - The South African rand extended gains on Monday, building from the previous week, as investor sentiment towards Africa's most industrialised economy improved. At 1517 GMT, the rand traded at 18.5600 to the dollar, about 0.87% stronger than its closing level on Friday. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected this week to travel to Russia and Ukraine for an Africa-led peace mission in an attempt to end the ongoing war. South Africa's sovereign dollar-denominated bonds also continued their June rally, with the 2044 maturity up and rising 1.153 cents at 1526 GMT to 73.017 cents in the dollar, according to Tradeweb data. South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was stronger, with the yield down 5.5 basis points to 10.765%.
Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Kieran Siney, Cyril Ramaphosa, Casparus Treurnicht, Razia Khan, Nellie Peyton, Tannur Anders, Rachel Savage, Bhargav, Alexander Winning, Toby Chopra Organizations: Analytics, Gryphon Asset Management, Standard Chartered, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, South Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Africa
"The answer is the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) will indicate what the final position of South Africa is. At a news conference later, the ministers side-stepped a barrage of questions about the Putin issue. The ICC accused Putin in March of the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. South Africa had invited Putin in January. The BRICS bloc "was inclusive ... in sharp contrast to some countries' small circle, and so I believe the enlargement of BRICS will be beneficial to the BRICS countries," he said.
Persons: Putin, Naledi Pandor, Vladimir Putin, Pandor, Cyril Ramaphosa, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ma Zhaoxu, Hossein Amir, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Carien du Plessis, Anait, Bhargav Acharya, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Estelle Shirbon, Joe Bavier, John Stonestreet, Ros Russell, Andrew Heavens Organizations: West, International Criminal Court, ICC, United Nations Security Council, New Development Bank, China's, BRICS, Iran's, Saudi, United, Thomson Locations: Cape Town, Africa, South Africa, Johannesburg, Brazil, Russia, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow, Beijing, Venezuela, Argentina, Algeria, United Arab Emirates
The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on May 11 that he was confident that a Russian ship, which docked at a naval base in Simonstown in the Western Cape in December last year, took aboard weapons from South Africa. An allegation South Africa has since denied. The allegations have caused a diplomatic row between the U.S., South Africa and Russia and called into question South Africa's non-aligned position on the Ukraine conflict. South Africa says it is impartial and has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on the war. "The President decided to establish the enquiry because of the seriousness of the allegations, the extent of public interest and the impact of this matter on South Africa's international relations," said the statement.
WASHINGTON, D.C - Sep. 16, 2022: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) in the Oval Office of the White House. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesRelations between the U.S. and South Africa frayed last week, when U.S. South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), released a rather different interpretation of the conversation in its readout. RICHARDS BAY, South Africa - Feb. 22, 2023: Russian military frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" docked at the port in Richards Bay on February 22, 2023. South Africa drew criticism from the U.S. and Europe for holding 10 days of joint naval exercises with Russia and China.
Details of the plan have not been publicly divulged, although Ukraine's stated position for any peace deal is that all Russian troops must withdraw from its territory. Putin and Zelenskiy had agreed to receive the mission in their respective capitals Moscow and Kyiv, a South African Presidency statement said. The peace plan is also backed by African leaders of Senegal, Uganda, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year but the war has largely stalemated, although Ukraine is expected to start a counteroffensive soon to try to take back land occupied by Russia. Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-MtamboOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
S.Africa's army chief visits Moscow for bilateral talks
  + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +3 min
JOHANNESBURG, May 15 (Reuters) - The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Monday that its army chief, Lawrence Mbatha, was in Moscow for a bilateral meeting, where he will visit Russian military academies and hold talks with officials. "It must be noted that South Africa has military-to-military bilateral relations with various countries in the continent and beyond," the SANDF said in a statement, adding that the meeting in Russia was planned well in advance. Brigety was summoned on Friday to meet South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and he apologised "unreservedly" to the government and the people of South Africa, a foreign ministry statement said. "I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor ... and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks," Brigety said in a tweet that did not confirm whether he had apologised. South Africa, which has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on Russia's war in Ukraine, says it is impartial.
JOHANNESBURG, May 15 (Reuters) - South Africa's climate policy body on Monday suggested the government could delay retiring its ageing coal-fired power plants to address electricity shortages and said a power crisis had put the country on track to meet its climate goals anyway. The ruling African National Congress has recommended that state power utility Eskom delay the decommissioning of its ageing coal-fired power stations to help minimise rolling electricity outages. "The least-cost approach is to pull the coal plants off when they reach the end of their economic life," said Crispian Olver, executive director of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC). South Africa relies on coal for electricity. South Africa's national target for emissions reductions is 398-510 MtCO2e by 2025, and 350-420 MtCO2e by 2030.
Cannes director open to letting green activists onto red carpet
  + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
CANNES, May 15 (Reuters) - Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux said on Monday he was open to letting climate demonstrators onto the red carpet, as the showbiz extravaganza prepared to launch amid bursts of activism on both sides of the Atlantic. But the confluence of at least three major protest movements has put unusual pressure on the organisers. "It's not impossible that we will welcome them at the top of the steps to express themselves," he added. It was too early to tell what effect the writer's strike would have on the festival, he said, but the right to strike had to be respected. Reporting by Miranda Murray and Mindy Burrows; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
JOHANNESBURG, May 13 (Reuters) - South Africa's presidential security advisor said on Saturday the country was "actively non-aligned" in Russia's war against Ukraine, after U.S. allegations it had supplied weapons to Moscow led to a diplomatic crisis this week. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on Thursday he was confident a Russian ship under U.S. sanctions had collected weapons from a base near Cape Town in December. Senior U.S. officials had "profound concerns" about South Africa not respecting its professed policy of non-alignment, he added. South Africa has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions condemning the war. A government statement late in the evening said: the ambassador "admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly to the government and the people of South Africa."
Jeremy Selwyn/WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla stands next to Queen Elizabeth II during a Diamond Jubilee pageant on the River Thames in June 2012. Chris Jackson/Getty Images From left, Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the state opening of Parliament in May 2013. From left are Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Duchess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William. Frank Augstein/WPA Pool/Getty Images In pictures: Britain's Queen Camilla Prev NextShe reportedly met Prince Charles at a polo match in Windsor in 1970 and they became friends. From left are Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Duchess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William.
Ramaphosa had said on Tuesday that the ruling African National Congress would aim to repeal South Africa's membership of the Hague-based court, which hears cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Moscow denies committing war crimes including forced deportations of children, and says the ICC has no authority as Russia is not a member. Putin is due to visit South Africa in August for a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. As an ICC member, South Africa would be required to detain him. The presidency said on Wednesday that South Africa would work towards establishing an African continental criminal court that would complement the ICC as a court of last resort.
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said on Tuesday that his party, the African National Congress, had decided “it is prudent” to withdraw from the International Criminal Court — only for representatives for him and the party to later clarify that neither was actually advocating quitting the court, at least for now. The shifting statements underscore the complexities and sensitivity of the matter at a fraught geopolitical moment, when South Africa and other countries are pushing back against a world order dominated by the United States and the West. has issued an arrest warrant on war crimes charges for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has been invited to a summit in South Africa in August. South African officials have not said whether they would honor their commitment to the I.C.C. and arrest Mr. Putin, and Mr. Ramaphosa said his government was still considering what to do.
[1/2] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to a parliamentary debate on his state of the nation address in Cape Town, South Africa, February 16, 2023. Only two days earlier, South Africa's parliament announced that it would abandon a seven-year-long legislative process to pull South Africa out of the ICC's Rome Statute. The process was abandoned because the governing party in December decided that South Africa should rather remain in the ICC and try to effect changes from within, a decision that has now been reversed. The international arrest warrant against Putin was issued after he had already received his invite from South Africa to the BRICS summit in August, and it would oblige South Africa to hand him over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague if he set foot in the country. "He has been invited by President Ramaphosa and Russia has indicated attendance," South Africa's official in charge of the relationship with BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries, Anil Sooklal, told Reuters.
Breen died after fence post penetrated car window, Hyundai say
  + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
[1/2] FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 3 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 14, 2020 Craig Breen of Ireland reacts. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson via REUTERS/File PhotoApril 19 (Reuters) - Irish rally driver Craig Breen was killed instantly in a crash in Croatia last week after a fence post penetrated the car's side window, his Hyundai team revealed on Wednesday. Hyundai are competing in Croatia this weekend with a reduced two car entry and a special livery as a tribute to Breen. The 33-year-old would have been competing in his second rally of the season after finishing runner-up in Sweden in February. The world rally championship has retired Breen's competition number 42 for the remainder of the season.
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