US President Donald Trump said during a meeting at the White House with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that he had called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the Ukrainian leader was in an African country, UNN reports.
Details
During the meeting with Ramaphosa, Trump initially stated that "the US is trying to resolve Russian-Ukrainian relations."
The day before yesterday, I spoke with President Putin for 2.5 hours. I think we have made significant progress, but it is a bloodbath. 5,000 people are killed every week. 5,000 soldiers a week. Not counting the people in towns and villages who are also being killed. So we are trying to help. It doesn't concern us. These are not our people
Ramaphosa told Trump: "You remember when President Zelenskyy came to South Africa, that's when I spoke to you. We both agreed that we need to promote a message of peace so that they can live in peace."
We have been involved in Ukrainian-Russian relations for quite some time, so I can only recall the exchange of children (...), and the steps you are taking are fully supported by us, we would like to see an end to this war
Trump replied that he had called Zelenskyy when he was in South Africa.
I called Zelenskyy and was told he was in South Africa. I asked, "What the hell is he doing in South Africa?"
Ramaphosa laughed and replied, "He was meeting with us."
Recall
In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in South Africa for talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa, politicians, public and student leaders in Africa.
US President Donald Trump today began a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who arrived at the White House.
The meeting is declared as a trade agreement, but the South African government said that "rethinking bilateral, economic and trade relations" was the special purpose of Ramaphosa's visit to the United States.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since Trump froze aid to South Africa in February over allegations of mistreatment of its white minority.