South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Ramaphosa on his official twitter handle wrote: "Thanking His Excellency President Vladimir Putin for taking my call today, so I could gain an understanding of the situation that was unfolding between Russia and Ukraine."

He said, "I outlined our position on the conflict that has unfolded as well as our belief that the conflict should be resolved through mediation and negotiation between the parties and - if need be - with the help of agencies that can help bring a solution to the conflict."

"President Putin appreciated our balanced approach. We believe this position enables both parties to subject the conflict to mediation and negotiation. Based on our relations with the Russian Federation and as member of BRICS, South Africa has been approached to play a mediation role," he added. 

South Africa is a member of BRICS an association of five major emerging economies among them Brazil, Russia, India, and China.