Donald Trump Calls Cyril Ramaphosa, US and SA Presidents Agree to Meet to Resolve Diplomatic Issues

• Donald Trump phoned Cyril Ramaphosa before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited South Africa
• The US and South African Presidents agreed that the Russian war on Ukraine needed to end before more lives were lost
• Trump and Ramaphosa also agreed to meet to discuss tensions between the countries

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has spent a decade reporting on the South African political landscape, crime and social issues. He spent 10 years working for a community newspaper before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG - Donald Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa could soon meet to fix tensions between the United States of America and South Africa.

Tensions between the two countries have deteriorated since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The US President claimed that terrible things were happening in the country, saying that the government was confiscating land and treating a section of the population poorly. His comments came after Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act, which some claimed was a tool the government would use to take away land from Afrikaners.

Trump and Ramaphosa discuss war in Ukraine

Speaking ahead of the visit of Ukrainian President, Volodmyry Zelenskyy, Ramaphosa stated that he received a call from Trump.

The call was initially to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine, but also included other topics. Both Ramaphosa and Trump agreed that the war needed to be brought to an end as soon as possible, to avoid any further deaths.

The call also took place a day after Ramaphosa had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two also reportedly committed to working together to find a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Trump and Ramaphosa agree to meet

While the call with Trump centred around the visit of Zelenskyy, it also touched on relations between South Africa and the USA.

Ramaphosa stated in an X post that they wanted to meet to address various matters.

“We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries,” he said.

There has been a mixed opinion about whether South Africa should attempt to fix things with the US, with many viewing it as giving in to Trump. The US President has made numerous false claims against the country and even cut funding to South Africa.

He has also offered Afrikaners a chance to become fugitives in the USA if they didn't feel safe in South Africa.

What you need to know about SA and US relations

AfriForum and Solidarity travelled to the United States to meet with Trump's administration.

The Democratic Alliance visited the USA to attempt to ease tensions with the country.

The US State Department said that South Africa was making decisions not in the best interests of the USA.

Ebrahim Rasool was expelled from the US after his comments about Trump's leadership.

Members of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) met with US officials.

What you need to know about Donald Trump

Donald Trump served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and is currently serving as the 47th president, beginning his second term in 2025. He is only the second US president to hold nonconsecutive terms. Before his 2016 presidential run, Trump was widely recognised as a real estate developer and businessman.

Trump ran as the Republican candidate in the 2016 election, with his campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" helping him secure a victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. In his first term, Trump focused on reforming tax laws, restricting immigration, and leading the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

After losing to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election, Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives in connection with the Capitol attack by his supporters. In 2023, Trump faced four criminal charges, all of which he denied. In 2024, he was convicted on multiple charges related to falsifying business records.

Zelenskyy cuts short visit to SA

Briefly News reported that President Zelenskyy cancelled part of his visit to South Africa.

The Ukrainian President arrived on 24 April, but had to return to his country soon after. Zelenskyy left after meeting with President Ramaphosa following Russia's attack on Kyiv.

Source: Briefly News