SACP blames US, NATO for current Ukraine-Russian conflict.

South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Blade Nzimande blames the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for the current Ukraine-Russian conflict.

He says although the SACP does not support wars, however, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is justifiable.

Nzimande was speaking at the 9th provincial congress of the SACP in the North West, held at Stilfontein.

He says the SACP supports the South African government’s stance on a peaceful settlement of the current conflict.

“The primary cause of the conflict is the United States and NATO, and not Russia. The solution to this is not sanctions upon Russia and so on. It’s a mediation and negotiated settlement and for NATO to agree it’s not going to move one inch further towards the Russian border.”

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Meanwhile, Ukraine called for more weapons and harsher sanctions after it blamed Russia for a missile attack that killed at least 52 people at a train station packed with women, children and the elderly fleeing the threat of a Russian offensive in the east.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike in Kramatorsk in the eastern region of Donetsk a deliberate attack on civilians.

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The city’s mayor estimated about 4 000 people were gathered there at the time.

“We expect a firm global response to this war crime,” Zelenskyy said in a video posted late on Friday.