PODCAST: Crimea river

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s peace mission to Russia and Ukraine next month is headed for the rocks almost before it sets sail

1 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: BLOOMBERG
President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: BLOOMBERG President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: BLOOMBERGPicture: 2019 Mikhail Svetlov

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s peace mission to Russia and what the intelligence ministry in his office calls “the” Ukraine next month is headed for the rocks almost before it sets sail.

It will make the Russians look good (that’s probably the intent) and the Ukrainians couldn’t very well be seen saying no to a whole peace team from Africa.

So a game will briefly be played. There’ll be pictures of talks and handshakes and drinks and then everyone will come home.

Ramaphosa and the ANC are in it for the rubles. Heaven knows how the rest of the team were persuaded to join him. It doesn’t matter much. The short fact is that until Russia withdraws from the sovereign territory it has occupied, there is nothing to talk about.

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