General Rudzani Maphwanya's Iran comments spark South Africa row
It said his comments had gone "beyond military-to-military discussions and entered the realm of foreign policy".South Africa's defence department labelled the general's remarks "unfortunate" while Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president didn't know about the trip or sanction it."The visit was ill-advised and more so, the expectation is that the general should have been a lot more circumspect with the comments he makes," Mr Magwenya told reporters during a briefing on Thursday.Gen Maphwanya, who was in Iran solely for a military trip, has since returned home, Mr Magwenya added.
More BBC stories on South Africa:
What's really driving Trump's fury with South Africa?Top policeman shakes SA with explosive allegations about his bossRamaphosa struggles to mend fences with Trump
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BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
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The Guardian
10 minutes ago
- The Guardian
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Zelensky declares he's 'ready' to sit down with Putin to end Ukraine war in Oval Office love-in with Trump
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The row over his suit reared its head once more with the White House reportedly asking if he was planning on wearing one this time. Mr Zelensky has famously vowed not to wear one until the end of the war, and last time channelled Winston Churchill, who didn't wear one either when he visited the Oval Office during the Second World War. But this was lost on the Trump administration, with a journalist friendly to the US president ambushing Zelensky in over his sartorial choice which preceded the White House meltdown. There are growing fears of a cataclysmic breakdown of the trans-Atlantic alliance after Putin apparently succeeded in winning over Washington to his worldview in Alaska last Friday. He appeared to get everything he wanted at the summit in Anchorage, with the Trump administration dropping its desire for an immediate ceasefire to halt the Russian advance and reportedly agreeing that Ukraine should cede all of the Donbas - a huge territory Moscow has failed to take for 12 years. Far from halting hostilities, Russia fired four more missiles and 140 drones against six regions of Ukraine overnight, killing ten people including a one-year-old girl, which Mr Zelensky said was 'demonstrative and cynical'. Today, Europe is pushing to regain the initiative, get a ceasefire back on the table, move talks on territory to the current front lines, and get Washington to ramp up pressure on Moscow to comply with sanction threats. But Mr Trump did little to encourage them as he instead heaped more pressure on Zelensky ahead of the White House showdown last night. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'Remember how it started,' he added, referring to how Putin was able to take all of Crimea on Barack Obama's watch in 2014 with very little consequences. He said: 'No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!' Mr Zelensky responded with his own post on X, arguing that the unjust conclusion to Moscow's initial attack gave him confidence to go again with his full-scale invasion in 2022. 'We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting,' he wrote. 'Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our east, part of Donbas, and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack.' Also, apparently questioning the security guarantees Washington says it has won from Putin, he said Ukraine was given a similar promise to give up its nuclear weapons in 1994, which 'didn't work'. But, eager not to repeat his last Oval Office meeting when the Vice President JD Vance accused him of not thanking the US president for America's financial and military help, Mr Zelensky added: 'I am grateful to the president of the United States for the invitation. We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably.' He asked his European allies to join him at this crucial juncture for the history of the continent, and they descended on the White House at 5pm UK time. Sir Keir Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian PM Georgia Meloni, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish president Alexander Stubb, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Speaking to press on board his flight ahead of the meeting, Sir Keir insisted that 'we've got to get this right'. He said: 'This war in Ukraine has been going on for a really long time now, three-plus years. 'It's hugely impacted the Ukrainians who've suffered hugely but it's also affected Europe – it's impacted every single family and community in the United Kingdom. 'And so everybody wants it to end, not least the Ukrainians, but we've got to get it right. We've got to make sure there is peace, that it is lasting peace, that it is fair and that it is just.' Referring to the overnight attacks, Sir Keir's spokesperson said Putin's 'barbaric attacks' show 'why we have always said there is one person who is able to end this war at any moment'. They said: 'President Putin has the choice to roll back his tanks and stop the bloodshed. President Putin has never been serious about peace.' But this morning, health minister Stephen Kinnock said the UK would recognise parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia officially becoming part of Putin's country, if Ukraine agreed to it. He added that 'any decisions taken about Ukrainian territory must be taken with the agreement of the Ukrainian government and President Zelensky'. Sir Keir has also said he stands ready to put British 'boots on the ground' if there is a deal with Russia 'to secure safe skies, safe seas and regenerate Ukraine's armed forces'. Downing Street also said Russia could not have the 'veto' over Ukraine joining Nato and there could be no 'limitations'. 'Our position on Ukraine and Nato hasn't changed. Ukraine is on an irreversible path. Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine's path to Nato,' they said. If today goes as Mr Trump hopes, he will push for a summit with himself, Putin and Mr Zelensky in Europe later this week. While Mr Trump favours Rome, Moscow reportedly prefers Geneva.
