Moscow – (AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African Cyril Ramaphosa have agreed to strengthen relations between their countries, the Kremlin announced Friday.
A Kremlin statement said that Putin and Ramaphosa “expressed their intention to consolidate relations for the common interest in several areas.”
According to Moscow, the phone conversation took place “at the initiative of the South African side.”
The phone call comes amid tensions between South Africa and the United States, which accuses it of delivering weapons to Russia as part of its own military operation in Ukraine.
During the call with Cyril Ramaphosa, Vladimir Putin said, “He supports the participation of a group of African leaders” in talks about prospects for resolving the Ukrainian conflict, according to the Kremlin.
Likewise, the two countries will continue close coordination in preparation for major multilateral events, including the second Russian-African summit scheduled for the end of July in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the BRICS summit to be held in August in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Russian President again expressed his willingness to provide large quantities of grain and fertilizers to African countries that need them, some of them free of charge, while the West imposes restrictions on exports of Russian agricultural materials.
