Zelenskyy cuts short visit to South Africa after deadly Russian strike on Kyiv

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday there was no pressure on Russia to move forward towards a deal that would provide lasting peace in Ukraine.

"I do not see pressure on Russia now and new sanctions packages against the aggression of the Russian Federation," Zelenskyy said, speaking in Pretoria alongside South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zelenskyy was speaking on a visit to South Africa, which he said he will cut short to return home because of an attack, which killed at least nine people and injured more than 70, the deadliest assault on the city since last July.

The strikes took place just as peace efforts are coming to a head. Zelenskyy said preliminary information indicated more than 250 drones and ballistic missiles were involved in the attack.

"We believe that with more pressure on the Russian Federation, we will be able to bring our parties closer. In diplomatic language, we will be able to get closer to a complete, unconditional ceasefire," he added.

Asked what compromises Ukraine was willing to make in the course of peace negotiations with Russia, Zelenskyy said a willingness to sit down "with the terrorists that did it all on our land, exclusively on our land, that is a great compromise."

The Ukrainian president's visit signalled a historic breakthrough in relations between South Africa and Ukraine, which had previously been strained by Pretoria's friendly relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Kyiv has however made efforts in recent months to increase its diplomatic presence and ties across the African continent.