Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Darren Bergman on Wednesday called on Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor to take South Africa into her confidence and give citizens the assurance that the country’s ambassador will be supporting the United Nations (UN) resolution against Russia.

The UN General Assembly will on Wednesday vote on a resolution demanding Russia stop its war against Ukraine.

Bergman explained that an abstention or vote with Russia will be a show of support for the continuation of the invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that he had "decided to conduct a special military operation" to protect eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, which quickly escalated into a war.

Deaths mount as Russian strikes pound several cities including the capital Kyiv and the north eastern city of Kharkiv.

“Will the ANC government be condemning Russia and will they be joining the rest of the world in calling for the withdrawal of Russia from Ukraine and to impose sanctions on Russia?” Bergman asked.

He pointed out that there had been several calls for South Africa to use its position in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or Brics, trade grouping and its proximity to Putin to de-escalate the rising tensions that have been advancing since at least 2014. 

Bergman added that this was an opportune time for the African National Congress to reclaim lost space in the international arena by making some positive gains from a series of glaring blunders.