South Africa tells Russia to 'immediately' pull out of Ukraine
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures as he addresses media representatives as he arrives for the first day of a European Union (EU) African Union (AU) summit at The European Council Building in Brussels on February 17, 2022. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- In a statement, the foreign ministry said South Africa "calls on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine."
A "dismayed" South Africa on Thursday urged Russia to pull its forces out of Ukraine hours after Moscow launched a military assault on its Western-backed neighbour.
In a statement, the foreign ministry said South Africa "calls on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine."
It said the country was "dismayed" at the turn of events but stood behind hopes for "diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the concerns... expressed by Russia."
"The door of diplomacy should never be closed even as conflict has broken out," the statement said.
A rocket body stuck into a road after recent shelling on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv on February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, forcing residents to flee for their lives and leaving at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers and 10 civilians dead. Russian air strikes hit military facilities across the country and ground forces moved in from the north, south and east, triggering condemnation from Western leaders and warnings of massive sanctions. PHOTO/AFP
