On Tuesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a meeting in Pretoria, stressed the importance of dialogue between Russia and Ukraine for the sake of ending the war.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping and I discussed the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, its significant impact on developing economies both in Africa and elsewhere," the EFE news agency quoted Ramaphosa as saying from a joint press conference with Xi Jinping. "We both agreed on the need for dialogue and negotiations between the parties."

"Representing South Africa, I am encouraged by the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the peace initiative put forward by the leaders of a number of African states," Ramaphosa said.