Zelenskyy cuts visit to South Africa short after overnight attacks
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just reacted to the latest wave of attacks on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, visiting South Africa today, said in a social media update that he would inform the country’s president Cyril Ramaphosa “about the situation and our need to intensify global diplomatic efforts.”
But while this meeting with Ramaphosa is still expected to go ahead this morning, the broader visit to South Africa will be cut short, he said, as he intends to immediately return to Ukraine in the aftermath of last night’s attack.
Zelenskyy noted it has been “44 days since Ukraine agreed to a complete ceasefire” proposed by the US, but Russia “continues to kill people and avoid tough pressure and accountability for this.”
9 people were dead, and over 80 injured as a result of overnight strikes, he said.
“It is very important that everyone in the world sees and understands what is really happening,” he said.
“The cessation of strikes is necessary immediately and unconditionally. We also count on assistance in humanitarian matters – in the return of our captives and Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he said.
Zelenskyy said he would ask partners to help Ukraine strengthen its air defence to protect against further strikes.
Key events
Zelenskyy meets South Africa’s Ramaphosa in Pretoria
Rachel Savage
The rain had been hammering down but cleared up in time for the arrival of Zelenskyy, who got out of his car to shake Cyril Ramaphosa’s hand flanked by his body guards and gun-toting South African soldiers.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight – map
Here is a map of the Russian attacks on Ukraine last night, thanks to our brilliant graphics department.
In a social media update posted just before meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said he spoke with US president Donald Trump “to discuss the peace process in Ukraine.”
“We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,” he said.
He added that they leaders “both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations,” and “spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries.”
Russia blames Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for wrecking peace diplomacy
Meanwhile, Russia – fresh after launching deadly attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight – accused Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy of wrecking diplomacy aimed at reaching a peace deal after he refused to agree to recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, Reuters reported.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that it was becoming clearer by the minute that Zelenskyy lacked the capacity to negotiate a deal to end the war.
Zakharova said decisions by European countries to continue supplying weapons to Kyiv were encouraging Zelenskyy to pursue the war, regardless of casualties, Reuters reported.
Their attitude showed some European countries were frightened by the prospect of a Russian victory, Russia’s Zakharova claimed.
Rachel Savage
We understand that while the visit will be cut short after Zelenskyy’s meeting with Ramaphosa, their media activities will still proceed, meaning we should hear from the Ukrainian president in the next few hours.
Jakub Krupa
Rachel and I will keep an eye on this development to see if Zelenskyy takes part in a scheduled press conference in Pretoria in case he wants to say more about the attacks overnight.
We will keep you up to date.
Rachel Savage
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in South Africa early this morning with his wife for a meeting with president Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Africa attracted the ire of Ukraine’s allies, including then US president Joe Biden, early in the conflict for refusing to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Then, in May 2023, the US ambassador to South Africa caused a diplomatic storm when he accused South Africa of supplying arms to Russia. Ramaphosa was in a delegation of seven African leaders who visited Ukraine and then Russia in June that year.
“The visits provides South Africa and Ukraine with an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of Trade, Agriculture and Education,” South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“It will also explore areas of cooperation with the objective to support efforts to bring lasting peace.”
Jakub Krupa
Let’s get a bit more background on that visit to South Africa from our correspondent, Rachel Savage.
Zelenskyy cuts visit to South Africa short after overnight attacks
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just reacted to the latest wave of attacks on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, visiting South Africa today, said in a social media update that he would inform the country’s president Cyril Ramaphosa “about the situation and our need to intensify global diplomatic efforts.”
But while this meeting with Ramaphosa is still expected to go ahead this morning, the broader visit to South Africa will be cut short, he said, as he intends to immediately return to Ukraine in the aftermath of last night’s attack.
Zelenskyy noted it has been “44 days since Ukraine agreed to a complete ceasefire” proposed by the US, but Russia “continues to kill people and avoid tough pressure and accountability for this.”
9 people were dead, and over 80 injured as a result of overnight strikes, he said.
“It is very important that everyone in the world sees and understands what is really happening,” he said.
“The cessation of strikes is necessary immediately and unconditionally. We also count on assistance in humanitarian matters – in the return of our captives and Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he said.
Zelenskyy said he would ask partners to help Ukraine strengthen its air defence to protect against further strikes.
215 Russian strikes on Ukraine over night, Ukrainian air force says
Russia fired at least 70 missiles and 145 drones at Ukraine overnight, the main target being Kyiv where at least nine people were killed, the Ukrainian air force said.
In a statement on social media, the air force said it had “detected and tracked 215 enemy air targets” – including ballistic and cruise missiles – of which 112 were “confirmed to have been shot down,” AFP reported.
The post added that F-16 and Mirage fighter jets played “an active part in repelling the attack,” with Ukrainian pilots shooting down “dozens” of missiles.
‘Particularly horrible’ attack on Kyiv leaves nine dead, over 70 injured, foreign minister says
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the overnight attacks on Telegram.
He said the overnight attack was “particularly horrible,” and confirmed nine deaths and over 70 people injured, including six children.
He added:
Yesterday’s Russian maximalist demands for Ukraine to withdraw from its regions, combined with these brutal strikes, show that Russia, not Ukraine, is the obstacle to peace.
Moscow, not Kyiv, is where pressure should be applied.
…
Putin demonstrates through his actions, not words, that he does not respect any peace efforts and only wants to continue the war.
Weakness and concessions will not stop his terror and aggression. Only strength and pressure will.
People shelter in the metro as Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s capital – video
‘Major rescue operation’ after Russian attack, minister says
Luke Harding
Ukraine’s interior minister Ihor Klymenko said a major rescue operation was under way in the Svyatoshinsky district of Kyiv, involving dogs and engineering teams.
“Mobile phones can be heard ringing under the ruins. The search will continue until everybody is got out. We have information about two children who cannot be found at the scene of the incident,” he said.
Morning opening: Is this your idea of peace?
Jakub Krupa
At least nine people have been killed and more than 60 wounded in a “massive” missile attack on Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s state emergency service. It is among the deadliest attacks on the capital of the three-year war.
The death toll could go up with reports of people trapped under the rubble and over 40 hospitalised in the aftermath of the attack.
The deadly strike comes a day after a diplomatic meeting in London to discuss the next steps and amid mounting pressure from president Donald Trump on Kyiv to accept a US-brokered peace deal, which would include the US formally recognising Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian Crimea as part of it.
In comments overnight, he boasted: ““I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelensky.”
He added: “I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky. So far it’s been harder.”
Or, as our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh put it, “Russia is willing to trade territory it does not control in Ukraine – in effect fresh air – for a US recognition of its 2014 seizure of Crimea, in other words a formal acknowledgment that it is possible to change borders by force, in effect creating an extraordinary precedent.”
After Zelenskyy said Ukraine would never legally recognise the Russian-occupied Crimea, Trump lashed out on his social media blaming the Ukrainian president for “making it so difficult to settle this war” and “prolonging the ‘killing field’”.
White House Karoline Leavitt added that Trump’s patience was “running very thin.””
Let’s see what the day brings us.
Coincidentally, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte will be in Washington today and tomorrow, meeting with US state secretary Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, and national security adviser Mike Waltz, giving him plenty of opportunities to get the latest US line on Ukraine.
Elsewhere, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will visit London today for talks on energy security, with her trip coming less than a month before the much-anticipated EU-UK summit on “resetting” the relationship in mid-May.
And the coffin with body of Pope Francis continues to lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican as cardinals finalise arrangements for his funeral on Saturday, and the process of selecting his successor, set to kick off in early May.
It’s Thursday, 24 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
