The South African Institute of International Affairs posted on 30 January 2023 a commentary titled "SA Adamant It Is Agnostic on Russia-Ukraine War But Its Behaviour Reveals Otherwise" by Steven Gruzd.
South Africa's declaration of neutrality on Russia's invasion of Ukraine is wearing thin and its upcoming participation in a naval exercise off South Africa with Russia and China on the first anniversary of the conflict in Ukraine sends the wrong signal.
Aljazeera published on 28 May 2022 a commentary titled "Can the African Union Be a Neutral Arbiter of Peace in Ukraine?" by Tafi Mhaka.
The author questions whether the African Union has the capacity to even be neutral on Russia's invasion of Ukraine inasmuch as some African leaders are afraid of offending Vladimir Putin.
The New York Times published on 3 March 2022 an article titled "Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa" by Declan Walsh and John Eligon.
The article identifies a number of African countries that one might have expected would condemn Putin's war in Africa but either abstained or did not vote. They include South Africa, Morocco, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Comment: While the article tends to be critical of African countries, more than half of them (28 out of 54) did vote to condemn Russia's invasion. Even Egypt, which has strong ties with Russia, voted for the resolution. The only African country to completely embarrass itself and support Russia's invasion was Eritrea.
The Daily Maverick published on 3 March 2022 an article titled "UN Majority Condemns Russia's Aggression on Ukraine; South Africa Abstains" by Peter Fabricius.
Contrary to a majority of African states, South Africa abstained on the UN General Assembly resolution that condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Clerics, academics, and civil society leaders in the country then circulated a petition which demanded that "South Africa must call for the end to the Ukraine war. We must call for the return of all Russian soldiers to their homeland."
