PRETORIA, South Africa
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.
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