Cyril Ramaphosa Arrives in Ukraine With “Thin Security” As Polish Permit Row Stops Entry of Security Personnel

• President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine for the much-anticipated African-lead peace mission
• The president was forced to enter the war-torn nation without his entire security detail because of a spat over weapons permits in Poland
• Ramaphosa's head of security Wally Rhoode has accused the Polish government of trying to sabotage the peace mission

WARSAW - The South African and Polish governments are in a diplomatic spat that has whittled down President Cyril Ramaphosa's personal security.

The President was forced to enter Ukraine without his entire security detail after they were refused entry at the Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland over weapons permits.

Ramaphosa is in Ukraine with other African heads of state for the much anticipated African-led peace mission to find a resolution to Russia's war in Ukraine, SowetanLIVE reported.

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Ramaphosa's security delayed over permit spat at Polish airport

The road to peace journey hit a major snag when South African Airways (SAA) plan to transport Ramaphosa's heavily armed security detail landed in Poland.

The Polish government reportedly would not let the personnel disembark the plane without the original permits for their weapons.

The president's head of security, Majo General Wally Rhoode, has accused Poland of compromising Ramaphosa's security and sabotaging the peace mission, SABC News reported.

President Cyril Ramaphosa to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

While the South African government confirmed that Ramaphosa safely entered Ukraine, the latest reports indicate that his security personnel is still dealing with the permit dispute.

Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy before heading to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Politics Ramaphosa denies favouring Russia with neutrality on war, sparking criticism: “It’s low-key pro-Russian”

In another story, Briefly News reported that South Africa's neutral stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine made waves again.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the issue in his weekly newsletter, stating that SA's refusal to pick a side does not indicate that the nation favours the Russians.

Ramaphosa wrote that as a sovereign nation, South Africa would not succumb to pressure to abandon its non-aligned position on the war, SABC News reported.

Source: Briefly News