PRETORIA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2023) South Africa has been under pressure from Europe and beyond to take a tough line on Russia over Ukraine but refused to be pitted against anyone, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told Sputnik.
"With respect to the views of our friends in Europe and beyond, there has been an attempt to persuade us to take sides and we have said we do not believe that is something we should support," the minister said in an interview.
South Africa favored a negotiated solution because the conflict between Ukraine and Russia cannot be settled in a battlefield, she said.
"I'm pleased that more recently there is much more talk of negotiation... Continuing to have conflict which involves arms just means more and more deaths, more and more destruction, and I think the world has to bring this to an end," the minister insisted.
