President Ramaphosa briefs Xi Jinping on efforts to end Russia-Ukraine conflict

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The presidency says President Cyril Ramaphosa has briefed Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the upcoming visit by African leaders to Russia and Ukraine in a bid to end hostilities. It is reported that the two leaders had a phone call on Friday.

In a statement, the presidency said Ramaphosa told Xi he noted the peace plan proposed by China and affirmed African leaders’ support for initiatives aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

During the call, the two leaders reportedly also discussed the summit of emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), which is due to be hosted by South Africa in August.

South Africa has says it is considering legal options should Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who is the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant, choose to attend the BRICS summit.

The UN Habitat Assembly also recently discussed the possibility of Putin attending the summit : 

The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Putin related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and South Africa as signatories to the Rome Statute are required to arrest him if he attends the summit in Johannesburg.- Additional reporting by Reuters