---
title: "Zelensky headed for state visit to South Africa in April, Ramaphosa's Presidency confirms"
description: "Zelensky plays his RSVP card for a state visit to South Africa following the explosive meeting between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday. Ukraine has long-awaited an invitation for a state visit from South Africa."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "WAR IN EUROPE"
author: "Victoria O’Regan"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/victoria-oregan-3-2-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-06-zelensky-to-visit-south-africa-in-april-says-presidency/"
published: "2025-03-06T23:21:51"
updated: "2025-03-07T00:00:25"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 453
---

# Zelensky headed for state visit to South Africa in April, Ramaphosa's Presidency confirms

> Zelensky plays his RSVP card for a state visit to South Africa following the explosive meeting between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday. Ukraine has long-awaited an invitation for a state visit from South Africa.

By Victoria O’Regan · Published 7 March 2025, 01:21 SAST · Updated 7 March 2025, 02:00 SAST

## Key points
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit South Africa on 10 April, as President Ramaphosa tries to play matchmaker in the ongoing saga of peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit South Africa on April 10, marking a significant diplomatic engagement.
- The visit is part of ongoing peace discussions between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Zelensky's invitation follows months of negotiations, including a previous meeting with Ramaphosa at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- The announcement comes amid heightened tensions in Ukraine, with recent US military aid suspensions and European leaders rallying to support Ukraine's defense.

## Content

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit South Africa next month, the South African Presidency said on Thursday.

“President Zelensky will be visiting South Africa on the 10th of April,” said Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

“The visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by President \[Cyril\] Ramaphosa with President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky on an inclusive peace process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine,” he added.

Ukraine has long-awaited an invitation for a state visit from SA.

On 20 January, Ukrainian officials said that Pretoria had invited Zelensky to visit South Africa. However, Magwenya told Daily Maverick at the time that although discussions had been held about a potential visit by Zelensky to SA, no formal invitation had yet been issued.

**Read more:**[Ukraine says Zelensky will visit South Africa, but no formal invite yet](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-01-20-ukraine-zelensky-south-africa-no-formal-invite/)

Ramaphosa and Zelensky later met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland to discuss details of his potential visit to SA.

> I welcome the constructive engagement I had with President [@ZelenskyyUA](https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and I look forward to hosting him in South Africa soon for a state visit.
>
> We both agreed on the urgent need for an inclusive peace process that involves all parties in finding a resolution to the conflict…
>
> — Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) [February 21, 2025](https://twitter.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1892827300418191384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The announcement of a date for Zelensky’s state visit follows the [explosive meeting](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-28-trump-and-zelenskiy-shouting-match-leaves-ukraine-exposed-in-war-with-russia/) between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump at the White House last Friday. Zelensky left the White House early following the confrontation with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, without signing the much-awaited deal between the US and Ukraine over the joint development of natural resources.

**Read more:**[Ambush! A mugging in the Oval Office reveals the alliance’s deep split](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-02-ambush-a-mugging-in-the-oval-office-reveals-the-alliances-deep-split/)

On Monday, the Trump administration temporarily suspended the delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine, affecting more than $1-billion in arms and ammunition in the pipeline, the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/us/politics/trump-ukraine-military-aid.html) reported.

Following the terse meeting, European leaders raced to salvage Ukraine’s fractured relationship with the US, [with the UK](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-23-british-pm-starmer-says-there-can-be-no-ukraine-talks-without-ukraines-participation/) and France leading the charge in formulating a plan among European nations for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

European leaders [gathered at a special meeting](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-06-cia-suspends-intelligence-to-kyiv-zelensky-hails-positive-movement-in-us-relations/?dm_source=dm_block_grid&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main) in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to bolster support for Ukraine as well as Europe’s own defences.

**Read more:**[What is South Africa’s role in Ukraine’s peace talks?](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-02-13-what-is-south-africas-role-in-ukraines-peace-talks/)

South Africa and Ukraine have had a complicated relationship since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But Ramaphosa’s visits to Ukraine and Russia in 2023 at the head of an Africa peace mission, and Pretoria’s participation in Zelensky’s peace formula talks since July 2023, have eased relations somewhat. **DM**