Zelenskyy Leaves SA, Back Home Over Russia Rainy Air Bombardments In Kyiv

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Zelenskyy Leaves SA, Back Home Over Russia Rainy Air Bombardments In Kyiv https://osazuwaakonedo.news/zelenskyy-leaves-sa-back-home-over-russia-rainy-air-bombardments-in-kyiv/24/04/2025/ #World News #Putin #Russia #SouthAfrica #Trump #Ukraine #US #Zelenskyy ©April 24th, 2025 ®April 24, 2025 8:19 pm While President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was on midair to South Africa on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin led Russia engaged the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv like never before since the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022, with disastrous-murderous rainy air bombardments, causing 10 deaths and over 80 people injured, with military intelligence suggesting that President Vladimir Putin may have launched the massive attacks on the Ukrainian capital as a calculated distraction to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over his visit to South Africa where Zelenskyy had planned to meet with representatives of civil, political and student communities from different Africa countries, a continent, it appears, Russia has built tighter relations with in recent years in the struggle for geopolitical supremacy against its rivals in the world powers like the US and France, which, Africa countries like Senegal, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, had cut military ties with France and expelled its troops, and some of the Africa countries like Chad and Niger have also expelled US troops and cut military ties with the Whitehouse, and they all, including South Africa have moved closer to Russia but since June 2023 when South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa led an African leaders’ peace mission to Ukraine and Russia where they both met with Zelenskyy and Putin, after the failed peace initiative, Ukraine has stepped up its relations in the Africa continent by sharing technological and military experience with African nations, donating grains, opening additional embassies in the Africa Continent with Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC already established out of the 10 new embassies pledged in 2023, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said in December 2023 that one of Ukraine’s foreign policy priorities for 2024 is continuing to develop ties with African countries, as Moscow seeks to expand its influence on the continent.  #OsazuwaAkonedo

Transcript

00:00While President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was on midair to South Africa on Wednesday,

00:05President Vladimir Putin-led Russia engaged the Ukrainian capital,

00:09Kiev-like never before since the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022,

00:16with disastrous murderous rainy air bombardments, causing 10 deaths and over 80 people injured,

00:22with military intelligence suggesting that President Vladimir Putin may have launched

00:26the massive attacks on the Ukrainian capital as a calculated distraction to President Volodymyr

00:32Zelensky over his visit to South Africa where Zelensky had planned to meet with representatives

00:37of civil, political and student communities from different Africa countries, a continent,

00:43it appears, Russia has built tighter relations within recent years in the struggle for geopolitical

00:49supremacy against its rivals in the world powers like the US and France, which, Africa countries

00:55like Senegal, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, had cut military ties with France

01:03and expelled its troops, and some of the Africa countries like Chad and Niger have also expelled

01:09US troops and cut military ties with the White House, and they all, including South Africa

01:15have moved closer to Russia but since June 2023 when South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa

01:22led an African leaders peace mission to Ukraine and Russia where they both met with Zelensky and Putin

01:28after the failed peace initiative, Ukraine has stepped up its relations in the Africa continent

01:34by sharing technological and military experience with African nations, donating grains, opening

01:40additional embassies in the Africa continent with Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of Congo,

01:46DRC already established out of the 10 new embassies pledged in 2023, which President Volodymyr Zelensky

01:54said in December 2023 that one of Ukraine's foreign policy priorities for 2024 is continuing to develop

02:01ties with African countries, as Moscow seeks to expand its influence on the continent.

02:07Zelensky, shortly after arriving in South Africa early morning on Thursday night, said,

02:13he will cut short his visit in South Africa and return home due to the Russia air bombardments

02:18from Wednesday night till Thursday morning in Kyiv. Zelensky still held a planned meeting with the

02:25South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa at the government's union buildings in Pretoria.

02:31Shortly after arriving in South Africa, Zelensky tweeted on his ex-social media handle that,

02:37we are preparing for important meetings in South Africa with President Cyril Ramaphosa

02:42and representatives of political, civil, and student communities of African countries.

02:48Condemning Russia attacks on Kyiv, Zelensky said, it is an honor for me to be in the Republic of South

02:54Africa today on my first visit. This morning, our country endured another Russian attack,

03:00a massive one, with over 200 aerial threats, missiles, including ballistic ones, and attack drones.

03:07Unfortunately, there have been destructions and losses in our capital and other cities.

03:13Over 80 people have been wounded in these strikes. Tragically, there are fatalities. In Kyiv,

03:20among those killed were a brother and sister, the young man was 21, and the young woman was 19.

03:27My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones. Rescue operations are still ongoing.

03:33Because of this Russian attack, I have decided to shorten the program of my visit to South Africa.

03:39However, our Minister for Foreign Affairs remains here, as a sign of our respect and to carry out

03:45all the meetings that were scheduled. We are grateful for the respect shown to Ukraine,

03:50for the support, and for the shared sense. The sense that this war must be brought to an end as

03:55soon as possible. Today, President Cyril Ramaphosa and I discussed the importance of uniting global

04:02efforts as fully as possible now to apply the necessary pressure on Russia. Pressure for the

04:08sake of peace. We also spoke about the opportunities within the G20 framework. South Africa currently holds

04:16the G20 presidency, and the role of the Group of 20 can be significantly greater in defending human life.

04:23Earlier, Zelensky said, it has been 44 days since Ukraine agreed to a full ceasefire and a halt to

04:29strikes. This was a proposal from the United States, and it has been 44 days of Russia continuing to kill

04:37our people and evading tough pressure and accountability for its actions. It is extremely important that everyone

04:44around the world sees and understands what is really happening. Nearly 70 missiles, including ballistic

04:51ones, and about 150 attack drones. Unfortunately, there is significant destruction, rescue operations

04:59are ongoing, and the rubble of residential buildings is being cleared. As of this moment, over 80 people

05:06have been injured across Ukraine. Everyone is receiving the necessary assistance. Regrettably,

05:13nine people have been killed in Kyiv. My condolences go out to their families and loved ones. There was a

05:19report from the military command. I instructed the Minister of Defense of Ukraine to immediately

05:25contact our partners regarding our requests to strengthen air defenses. Today, I will brief President

05:32Ramaphosa of South Africa, who currently holds the G20 presidency, on the situation and our need to

05:38intensify global diplomatic efforts. The strikes must be stopped immediately and unconditionally.

05:45We also count on support in humanitarian matters, in the return of our prisoners and Ukrainian children

05:51abducted by Russia. I am cancelling part of the programme for this visit and will return to Ukraine

05:57immediately after the meeting with the President of South Africa. The Foreign Minister of Ukraine will hold

06:03all the necessary meetings in South Africa to fully inform the country's political and civil society

06:09leaders about the situation. I am grateful to everyone around the world who stands with Ukraine

06:15and supports our people. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump of the United States, US on Thursday called

06:22on Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on Ukraine, in a rare rebuke of the Russian leader after Moscow fired a

06:29barrage of missiles and drones at Kyiv, killing at least 10 in the deadliest attack on the capital in months.

06:36The direct appeal to Putin came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies to

06:41put Russia under more pressure to halt its invasion. I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv,

06:48Trump said on social media. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, stop, he said,

06:56let's get the peace deal done. Trump's envoy Steve Wyckoff is due in Russia this week where he is

07:02expected to hold talks with Putin on a possible deal, his fourth since Trump returned to the White

07:08House in January. Ukraine has been batted with aerial attacks throughout Russia's three-year

07:13invasion but deadly strikes on Kyiv, better protected by air defences than other cities, are less common,

07:20according to AFP. The attacks threw more doubt on already-fraught US efforts to push Russia and

07:26Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire, with Trump having lashed out at Zelensky this week for not being

07:32willing to accept Russian occupation of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.

07:38We do everything that our partners have proposed, only what contradicts our legislation and the

07:43constitution we cannot do, Zelensky told reporters in South Africa in response to a question about

07:50Crimea. Zelensky also questioned whether Kyiv's allies were themselves doing enough to force Putin

07:56to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire. I don't see any strong pressure on Russia or any

08:02new sanctions packages against Russia's aggression, Zelensky said, highlighting that Trump had

08:08previously warned of repercussions if Moscow did not agree to pause the fighting.

08:14The strikes must be stopped immediately and unconditionally, Zelensky said, calling Thursday

08:20morning's aerial assault, one of the most sophisticated, most brazen, of the entire war.

08:26Loud blasts sounded over the Ukrainian capital at around 1 am, 2200 GMT, after air raid sirens rang out

08:35across Kyiv, AFP journalists on the ground said. Rescuers on Thursday afternoon said 10 people were

08:42killed and 90 injured. Russia said it had targeted Ukraine's defense industry, including plants that

08:49produced rocket fuel and gunpowder, AFP reported. We have reported that the Ukrainian president,

08:56Volodymyr Zelensky has accused China government led by President Xi Jinping of helping Russia by thus

09:02allegedly sending the country's weapon production workers to Russia to be producing gunpowder,

09:07artillery, among other military weapons, the enemy neighboring country, Russia under President

09:13Vladimir Putin are using to attack and destroy Ukraine. This, Zelensky confirmed that Russia

09:19attacked Kharkiv with ballistic missiles as Christians set to mark this year Good Friday,

09:24which do herald the celebration of Easter, just as the United States government through the office of

09:29the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio also on Friday said that if the war in Ukraine can't be stopped,

09:37the U.S. will move on, because, the U.S. is not the cause of the war,

09:41and the North America country has been helping Ukraine since the start of the war, three years ago.

09:51bringing the news in a more digital world.

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