• Joe Biden will host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office for a bilateral meeting Friday.
• They’re expected to discuss the war in Ukraine, which they discussed in April.
• The United States has provided $8 billion to South Africa since 2004 to fight HIV/AIDS.

President Joe Biden will visit South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office on Friday for a bilateral discussion, during which they are anticipated to discuss the Ukraine conflict.

A senior administration source said ahead of the meeting that Biden and Ramaphosa had “a honest and open conversation about what was happening in Ukraine.” “There was a lot of listening, a lot of consultation,” the official stated.

Ramaphosa has refrained from criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and his country has stayed virtually neutral throughout the conflict.

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“As the conflict has evolved, we are eager to hear South Africa’s perspective on how do we reach a just conclusion to the conflict, and what are the means to do that,” the official said. It’s important to the administration, as outlined in the new U.S.-Africa strategy, to talk to African partners on global issues and hear their perspective, “and then from that conversation, to have a more effective, thoughtful, inclusive policy,” the official said.

Trade, investment, infrastructure, climate and energy, and health issues are among the other top goals for both countries, according to the source.

The official noted that the US has donated $8 billion to South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS since 2004, and he praised the country’s leadership in the worldwide fight against the Covid pandemic.

Ramaphosa, 69, has been South Africa’s president since 2018. He is also the president of the African National Congress. He previously served as the African Union’s chairperson and as South Africa’s deputy president.

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