South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday he hopes to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve tensions over land reform and Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel at the World Court.
Trump recently signed an executive order cutting U.S. financial aid to South Africa, citing concerns over its land policy and its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Washington’s key ally.
Speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference in Johannesburg, Ramaphosa said he wanted tensions to ease following the executive order but emphasized the need for long-term engagement with Washington.
“We don’t want to go and explain ourselves. We want to go and do a meaningful deal with the United States on a whole range of issues,” he said. “I’m very positively inclined to promoting a good relationship with President Trump.”
While he did not specify the terms of a potential deal, Ramaphosa suggested discussions could span trade, diplomacy, and political matters.
South Africa does not heavily rely on U.S. aid, but there are concerns that its preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) could be at risk.
The country positions itself as non-aligned in global power struggles, balancing relationships with the U.S., China, and Russia. However, Trump has pointed to the ICJ case as evidence of South Africa aligning against Washington and its allies.