South African leader talks with Trump after months of tension

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he and the US president agreed that hostilities between Moscow and Kiev should end as soon as possible

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, have personally agreed to address bilateral relations between the countries, after months of diplomatic tension.

Ramaphosa announced the phone talks on X on Thursday, revealing the two also discussed the urgent need for a ceasefire to Ukraine conflict.

“I spoke to President Donald Trump to discuss the peace process in Ukraine. We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,” he wrote.

“We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations. We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries,” Ramaphosa added.

Diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Washington have worsened since President Trump returned to office in January. The US leader has accused South Africa of violating the rights of the white Afrikaner minority through a land expropriation policy – an initiative Pretoria insists aims to address historical racial disparities in land ownership.

I spoke to President @DonaldTrump to discuss the peace process in Ukraine. We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths.

We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations.… pic.twitter.com/3TlYheuNgW— Cyril Ramaphosa