Belgium had President Cyril Ramaphosa squirming with jabs about Russia during a royal visit

President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to be left hot under the collar, and visibly awkward in his seat, after Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib threw a few veiled jabs at South Africa’s non-aligned foreign policy on Ukraine. 

She asked South Africa to use its friendship with Russia to promote peace. Ramaphosa insisted that Lahbib should be "rest assured" that South Africa was using its channels with Russia to do that, and then he kicked the media out. 

Lahbib’s dig at South Africa's controversial position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine came during the official state visit by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday.