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 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) April 24, 2025

Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice prompted Trump to halt all US federal funding to South Africa and expel the country’s ambassador to Washington, having accused him of being “anti-American.”

The South African government has sought to hold meetings with the White House in order to clarify what it calls “misinformation” about the land policy.

READ MORE:
Putin and South African leader discuss trade and Ukraine conflict

The talks with Trump on Thursday followed a phone conversation between Ramaphosa and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, about pathways to end the Ukraine conflict. During the discussions, Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s longstanding preference for an agreement that addresses the root causes of hostilities, while also guaranteeing Russia’s national security interests.

South Africa has maintained a non-aligned stance on the Ukraine conflict, despite external pressure to condemn Moscow. In June 2023, President Ramaphosa led a delegation of African leaders to Russia and Ukraine, seeking ceasefire commitments from both sides. While Moscow had said it would review a ten-point peace plan presented by the mission, Kiev insisted it would only accept Russia’s unconditional withdrawal from all territories that Ukraine claims as its own.

Ramaphosa was scheduled to host Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who arrived in South Africa late on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader cut his trip short, claiming he was needed in Kiev following reported overnight Russian military missile and drone strikes.