Putin congratulates South Africa's Ramaphosa on re-election

18/6/2024 12:14

        Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin congratulated South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa on his re-election as president on Monday, reflecting continued good relations with Pretoria despite uncertainty over Moscow's more than two-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
        
        "Hope was expressed for continued joint work on further strengthening of the partnership between Russia and South Africa in all its aspects," a statement said on the Kremlin website, referring to Putin's telephone call to Ramaphosa.
        
        Ramaphosa was re-elected by parliament on Friday. But the failure of his African National Congress party to win a majority in last month's election, for the first time in 30 years, prompted the formation of a government made up - so far - of five parties.
        
        Russia and Ukraine have jostled for support from African nations since the 2022 invasion, with each country's foreign minister embarking on several of regional tours.