Trudeau speaks to South African president about Ukraine war, other issues

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday (local time) spoke with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa about Russia-Ukraine and other global issues.

Trudeau strongly condemned the large-scale military aggression by Russia against the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.

According to Trudeau's statement, they both expressed their profound concern for the human cost of armed conflict and agreed on the importance of international humanitarian law and the Charter of the United Nations.

The leaders discussed efforts to bring an end to this unnecessary conflict that will have far-reaching global impacts, including for developing countries emerging from the pandemic.

Both leaders also discussed how they could work together to help ensure a strong and rapid global response to the situation in Ukraine, the statement said.

The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining and strengthening the deep relationship between Canada and South Africa, including pandemic recovery and climate change.

They expressed their strong commitment to continue working closely together at the G20, within the Commonwealth, and at the United Nations to promote global peace, security, and stability for greater shared prosperity, the statement added.

Earlier, Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba assures efforts to help Africans seeking evacuation.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected Ukrainians and non-citizens in many devastating ways. Africans seeking evacuation are our friends and need to have equal opportunities to return to their home countries safely. Ukraine's government spares no effort to solve the problem," Kuleba tweeted.