By Daanyaal Matthews
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is set to visit South Africa tomorrow. This follows the Ukrainian president facing increased pressure from the United States to enter into negotiations with the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian president reiterating that negotiations could only commence once a ceasefire is in place.
The Presidency has affirmed that the visit, which will be the first time the Ukrainian Head of State will visit the republic, will be to further bilateral relations and expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, and education.
Speaking on VOC NewsBeat, Doctor Edwin Yingi, UNISA Politics Department postdoctoral fellow, argued that due to the tariffs implemented by the Trump administration, trade between Ukraine and SA could be strengthened as the republic attempts to diversify and strengthen its relations with other states.
“We cannot rule out that the two leaders, when they meet tomorrow, will talk of issues of trade because South Africa would look for trade partners in the event that the tariff regime comes into effect. So, we cannot rule out that the talks will talk about trade relations and strengthening the trade relations between South Africa and Ukraine,” stated Yingi.
Donald Trump has affirmed that tariffs would be the economic policy of his administration, with the present 90-day pause being temporary, which, according to Minister of Trade and Industry Parks Tau, nullifies the AGOA agreement.
For Yingi, SA must seek alternative trade partners or strengthen relations with present partners to ensure that the Republic can maintain the jobs that AGOA sustains.
“AGOA is a major trading agreement between South Africa and the United States. Once the tariff regime comes into effect, obviously the farmers in South Africa will be affected, so South Africa is looking for new markets,” added Yingi.
Listen to the full interview here:
