Ukraine's Zelensky cuts short SA trip after Russian strike

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would cut short a trip to South Africa on Thursday and return to Kyiv after a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian capital.

Zelensky, who has been trying to shore up international support for Ukraine's defence against Russia's invasion, said he would immediately travel back to Ukraine after meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa.

"The minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine will hold all necessary meetings in South Africa to fully inform the country's political and public leaders about the situation," Zelenskywrote on the Telegram app.

Russia pounded Kyiv with missiles and drones overnight, killing at least eight people, wounding more than 70 and smashing buildings in the biggest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year.

TimesLIVE reports that shortly after 11am on Thursday, Ramaphosa shared a post on X stating he and US President Donald Trump had discussed the Russia-Ukraine issue.

"I spoke to President 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," Ramaphosa said.

"We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries [and] both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations."

Reuters