Relationship dossier
South Africa
Ukraine
Relationship assessment
High-level peace diplomacy amid differing approaches to Russia’s war against Ukraine
South Africa toward Ukraine
+10South Africa took part in the African leaders’ peace mission to Kyiv in 2023 and its president met with Ukraine’s president. South Africa has also advocated negotiations and abstained on some United Nations votes concerning Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ukraine toward South Africa
+15Ukraine received the African leaders’ peace mission in Kyiv in 2023, where Ukraine’s president held talks with South Africa’s president. The engagement provided a channel for Ukraine to present its position on the war and discuss peace efforts with the South African government.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship includes high-level diplomatic engagement and South Africa’s involvement in peace initiatives, but cooperation appears limited in scope. South Africa’s calls for negotiations and abstentions on some United Nations votes concerning the war reflect a different public approach from Ukraine’s position.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
South Africa and Ukraine have engaged through high-level diplomacy, including South Africa’s participation in an African leaders’ peace mission to Kyiv in 2023. South Africa has advocated negotiations over Russia’s war against Ukraine while abstaining on some United Nations votes concerning the conflict. These contacts indicate modest cooperation, alongside differences in their public approaches to the war.
Areas of tension
- South Africa’s abstentions on some United Nations votes concerning Russia’s war against Ukraine, alongside its emphasis on negotiations.
Key developments
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited Kyiv as part of an African leaders’ peace mission and held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing government cooperation beyond high-level diplomacy is unclear.