President Cyril Ramaphosa says that he and United States President Joe Biden have agreed on the need for a ceasefire and dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
South Africa called the draft resolution premature and abstained from the vote.
Reaction to vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council:
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, thousands of people have reportedly been killed and millions forced to flee their homes.
The call comes as South Africa has sought to take a neutral position over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has created substantial differences between Pretoria and Washington on where the blame lies for the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Europe.
The United Nations is currently working to secure a humanitarian pause to the fighting.
President Ramaphosa says he and Biden also discussed the need to support growth and development on the African continent while he congratulated his US counterpart on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation as the first black woman to the United States Supreme Court.
Dialogue, negotiations only way to end Russia-Ukraine conflict, insists Minister Naledi Pandor:
