Zelenskyy Cuts short visit to South Africa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut short his South Africa visit after eight people were killed and dozens injured in a Russian overnight attack on Kyiv.

Zelenskyy had arrived in South Africa on Wednesday evening, amid renewed criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused him of prolonging the war by refusing to cede Crimea to Russia.

It is an honor for me to be in the Republic of South Africa today on my first visit. This morning, our country endured another Russian attack — a massive one, with over 200 aerial threats: missiles, including ballistic ones, and attack drones. Unfortunately, there have been… pic.twitter.com/cu4lKloOKp

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 24, 2025

Zelenskyy was expected to meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss cooperation and peace efforts. Ramaphosa has tried to position himself as a mediator, citing ties with Russia through BRICS.

Zelenskyy has questioned Russia’s intentions, saying a so-called Easter ceasefire was never honoured as attacks continued.