PRETORIA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is cutting his visit to South Africa short after an attack on Kyiv.
He said in a post on X: "I am cancelling part of the program for this visit and will return to Ukraine immediately after the meeting with the president of South Africa."
"The foreign minister of Ukraine will hold all the necessary meetings in South Africa to fully inform the country’s political and civil society leaders about the situation.”
It has been 44 days since Ukraine agreed to a full ceasefire and a halt to strikes. This was a proposal from the United States. And it has been 44 days of Russia continuing to kill our people and evading tough pressure and accountability for its actions.
It is extremely… pic.twitter.com/87CSHvsvqG— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 24, 2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa is hosting Zelenskyy at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
The state visit is aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties between South Africa and Ukraine.
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It's the first official trip to South Africa by a Ukrainian head of state.
Political analyst Professor Dirk Kotzé says the engagement is significant because it acknowledges South Africa’s importance on the global stage.
He adds that it also allows Ukraine to demonstrate that it has not yet been defeated by the war with Russia and that it has international support, especially from a country that currently holds the G20 presidency.