MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday informed his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on the results of his summit last week with US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said.
A statement by the presidential office said Putin spoke to his counterpart over the phone, and Ramaphosa expressed support for diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement to the ongoing Ukraine war.
“The mutual commitment to further develop the Russian-South African comprehensive strategic partnership and close cooperation between the two countries on international platforms was confirmed,” the statement added.
Putin and Trump held a session on Friday in Anchorage, the largest city of the US state of Alaska, which marked the first meeting between sitting American and Russian leaders since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022.
At a joint press briefing, Trump called the talks “productive,” while Putin invited the US leader to Russia, saying: “Next time in Moscow.”
Russian state media outlets, including Tass, reported that Putin will continue a series of international phone calls to inform his counterparts of the results of the Alaska summit.
As a follow-up to the Aug. 15 summit, Trump is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the Oval Office later in the day as efforts to seal a Ukraine peace deal intensify.
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Russia had agreed to allow the US and Europe to give Ukraine security guarantees as part of a peace deal.
