Pretoria: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, who accompanied President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his first official visit to the Republic of South Africa, met with the host country's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, and discussed ongoing peace efforts with Russia.

According to Anadolu Agency, Sybiha stated that he updated Lamola on Ukraine's ongoing peace efforts, including recent discussions in Paris and London, reiterating Kyiv's aim to end the war this year through active cooperation with international partners. Sybiha emphasized Ukraine's commitment to peace, stating, "We want to end this war this year. And we are working with partners to achieve it."

The discussions also focused on strengthening bilateral ties across several sectors, including food security, agricultural technology, education, and digitalization. Sybiha expressed appreciation for South Africa's G20 presidency and its focus on equitable global governance and development priorities for Africa.

Sybiha highlighted the significance of President Zelenskyy's visit, despite it being cut short due to Russian air attacks against Ukraine. He remarked, "President Zelenskyy's visit is a milestone in our bilateral relations. We are working to translate the diplomatic activity into success stories for both countries."

Zelenskyy, who arrived in Pretoria for a two-day state visit, had to partially cancel his program due to Russian airstrikes the day before, necessitating an earlier return to Ukraine than initially planned.