South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday blamed NATO for provoking Russia into invading its neighbor Ukraine.
Speaking in parliament Thursday, Ramaphosa said the war, now entering its 4th week, could have been avoided if NATO hadn’t expanded eastward.
"The war could have been avoided if NATO had heeded warnings from amongst its own leaders and officials over the years that its eastward expansion would lead to greater, not less, instability in the region," Ramaphosa said. He was careful to clarify that South Africa"cannot condone the use of force and violation of international law."
The South African president refused to condemn Russia, saying he had been approached to mediate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict but did not specify who approached him. FILE: In this Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 file photo, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address in Cape Town, South Africa.
"There are those who are insisting that we should take a very adversarial stance against Russia. The approach we are going to take is … insisting there should be dialogue," he said, adding:"Screaming and shouting is not going to bring an end to this conflict." Ramaphosa said he did not want to take sides because it would hurt his country’s role as a possible mediator.
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