After their speeches, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are asked by journalists about the role of the US in peace negotiations.

A South African reporter asks both of them whether they think a ceasefire is possible.

In response, Ramaphosa says the US, Europe and the African continent would be willing and prepared to play a productive role.

"We are involved in ensuring that there is a peace process that is effective between the two countries," he says.

Zelensky says that he hopes the US can be a guarantor of a ceasefire, adding that he doesn't want to see "another frozen conflict".

Image source, Reuters

The Ukrainian president continues, saying that more pressure needs to be put on Russia in order to move towards a ceasefire.

He says: "I don't see much pressure on Russia or any new strong sanctions packages against the Russian aggression - for now.

"We're very hopeful - and this is not an accusation - we're saying this very directly and without any emotions: we believe that if more pressure is applied to Russia, we'll be able to make our positions closer."

As to any compromises, he reiterates that Ukraine was "attacked" by Russia, with tens of thousands of people killed since the full-scale war began in February 2022.

He says that the fact they are still willing to sit at the table to negotiate with Moscow after everything that has happened is itself a compromise.

He further underscores that a ceasefire is "only the first step".

In translated comments, Zelensky tells reporters gathered in Pretoria, South Africa, that Russia didn't stop firing during the Easter pause, but Ukraine did follow through.

For context: Ukraine and Russia have both accused each other of breaching a 30-hour "Easter truce" announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, which has now expired.

He says Ukraine is ready to sign the memorandum on a mineral deal with the US, and insists that Ukraine is doing whatever its partners have suggested.

Everything apart from the things that are against our legislation, he notes.

As a reminder, President Donald Trump criticised Zelensky for saying Ukraine would not recognise Russian control of Crimea - something Zelensky has said goes against Kyiv's constitution.

We are fighting for our independence, Zelensky adds. "This is our survival."

Image source, Reuters

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Zelensky begins his address in South Africa by acknowledging the deadly attack that Russia carried out on Kyiv overnight.

"Last night’s attack was undoubtedly one of the most difficult and impudent," he says.

The Ukrainian leader goes on to discuss the meeting between Ukrainian, US, UK and European officials in London yesterday, which he says was "difficult but constructive".

"It resulted not in differences but a desire to continue working nonetheless," he says.

Zelensky continues: "I’m sure Russia was hoping for a huge row yesterday. Russia doesn’t like the alliance around Ukraine, because Ukraine would be an easier target without it."

Image source, Getty

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just begun speaking to reporters in Ukrainian.

We'll bring you the key lines in our next few posts.

Ramaphosa reiterates that he spoke to US President Donald Trump this morning to discuss the peace process in Ukraine (more on that here).

Both leaders have agreed that the war should end as soon as possible, Ramaphosa says.

The two men will meet soon to discuss various aspects of the relations between the US and South Africa, he adds.

Ramaphosa also says he spoke to Vladimir Putin earlier this week, and says the two men "agreed to work together on a peaceful resolution to the conflict".

Before concluding his remarks, Ramaphosa says that today's meeting has "reaffirmed" the bonds between South Africa and Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

Our engagement today was an opportunity to discuss our shared interest in advancing peace, security and stability in Ukraine and across the world, Cyril Ramaphosa continues.

The South African president says that he is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the continuing loss of civilian lives.

South Africa believes the only path to peace is through diplomacy, he adds.

Image source, Reuters

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa begins the joint press conference by saying it is an "honour" to receive President Zelensky today in Pretoria.

He says the Ukrainian president has always "expressed a desire" to come to South Africa and adds that this particular visit "reflects our shared commitment to enhancing bilateral relations between two countries".

Ramaphosa also calls today "historic", reflecting that it's the first time in 33 years that the head of state of Ukraine has visited South Africa.

He adds that South Africa has taken part in various talks around peace in Ukraine and is backing a comprehensive ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have now begun addressing journalists in Pretoria, South Africa.

We'll bring you the key lines from what they say, but you can also follow along by pressing watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

Why South Africa and Ukraine are wooing each otherpublished at 11:25 British Summer Time 24 April

11:25 BST 24 April

Farouk Chothia
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

As we wait to hear from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during his historic visit to South Africa, it's worth remembering that this visit signals a dramatic improvement in the once-strained relations between the two nations.

The visit marks a diplomatic breakthrough for the Ukrainian leader in his efforts to counter Russia's strong - and growing - influence in Africa.

Apart from a brief stopover in Cape Verde in 2023 while flying to Argentina, this is Zelensky's first visit to Africa since he became Ukraine's president in 2019.

Ukraine grasped the diplomatic significance of African states, when many of them - including regional powerhouse South Africa - refused to condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of its territory in 2022.

Zelensky's visit to South Africa at this point is especially significant, as Ukraine's relationship with the US - its main weapons supplier - has soured since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

For South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, the visit is equally significant, as his country, too, is under intense pressure from the Trump administration.

Ramaphosa sees Zelensky's visit as an attempt to boost his credentials as a peacemaker, saying their talks will focus on efforts to find "a path to peace".

• What will Trump think about Ukraine and South Africa's meeting?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramphosa are now meeting in Pretoria.

We're expecting the pair of leaders to hold a joint press briefing afterwards, which will start shortly.

We'll bring you live updates on this page as soon as we hear from them, and you'll also be able to follow along by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, Reuters

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

As we wait to hear from Zelensky and Ramaphosa in Pretoria, let's briefly turn our attention back to Ukraine where we've just received an update from the interior minister.

Ukraine’s interior minister says the death toll from the overnight Russian attack on Kyiv has now been revised down to eight, as the ninth fatality is now believed to be body parts from other victims.

According to Ihor Klymenko, more than 70 people have been injured, 44 of them taken to hospital.

As we've just heard, Donald Trump and his South African counterpart held a call earlier about the peace process in Ukraine.

But what has the US president said lately about the effort to end the war?

Yesterday, he took to his Truth Social to accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of harming peace negotiations, after the Ukrainian president said Kyiv would not recognise Russian control of Crimea.

Trump claimed, external a deal to end the war was "very close", but that Zelensky's refusal to accept US terms "will do nothing but prolong" the “killing field".

"Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago?" he wrote.

Earlier that day, US Vice-President JD Vance laid out the US vision for a deal, saying it would "freeze the territorial lines [...] close to where they are today", adding that Ukraine and Russia would both have to "give up some of the territory they currently own".

The US administration has yet to specify what geographic concessions would have to be made.

However, Ukraine has long said it will not give up Crimea, a southern peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, saying it's "against our constitution".

Mayeni Jones
Reporting from Pretoria

Image source, EPA

Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Volodymyr Zelensky are now meeting in Pretoria as the Ukrainian leader announced he would have to cut his visit to South Africa short, following Russian missile strikes in Kyiv overnight.

The two leaders greeted each other with a pat on the back followed by a handshake.

They are now in a private meeting. A press briefing scheduled for 12:15 BST could now take place as early as 11:00 BST.

A planned lecture by the Ukrainian president at the University of Pretoria as well as a visit to Freedom Park, which has a war memorial, have now been cancelled.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Zelensky are now meeting in Pretoria. But not long before the pair met, the South African president confirmed that he had spoken to US President Donald Trump recently about the peace process in Ukraine.

In a post on X, Ramaphosa, external said he and Trump "both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible".

He says the two men will soon meet to address "the need to foster good relations between our two countries".

For context: US-South Africa relations have deteriorated sharply , externalsince Trump returned to power in mid-January. Trump has cut all aid to the country and says that members of South Africa's white, Afrikaner community would be granted refugee status in the US because of the persecution he says they face at home.

Image source, The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa

We're now getting some of the first images of South African President Ramaphosa greeting Ukrainian President Zelensky in Pretoria.

The pair of leaders are expected to meet, and then we'll be hearing from them at a press briefing at 12:00 local time (11:00 BST).

We’ll bring you more updates as we get them - stick with us.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

Russia is accusing Kyiv of "disrupting" the pause in attacks on energy infrastructure and the Easter ceasefire which, the foreign minister says, were declared by Moscow.

This demonstrated "that Zelensky is totally unable to keep agreements", foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says.

She goes on to describe Ukrainian forces as "militarised gangs of neo-Nazis and mercenaries who do not apparently realise who they are serving".

For context: Ukraine and Russia have both accused each other of breaching a 30-hour "Easter truce" announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, which has now expired.

Kostas Kallergis
Reporting from Kyiv

Lilya Yedamenko, 52, lives across from a building that collapsed as a result of a strike in Kyiv last night.

She tells the BBC she is "angry" at what is happening.

"These kinds of crimes against civilians are being committed with [the] silent consent of the Western world," she says.

"My message to the West is that we are all living on the same planet, we are all connected politically and energetically and tolerating crimes like those Russia does against civilians in Ukraine will affect the whole humanity."

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Getty Images

I'm just outside the centre of Kyiv in a big residential neighbourhood.

Last night, at around 01:30 local time (23:30 BST), I was woken up by the sound of loud explosions. There was a lot of anti-aircraft fire as the Ukrainians tried to take out some of the drones and missiles. Sirens went off and people were running towards shelters.

In front of me now, I can see an apartment block that appears to have been completely flattened. All the surrounding buildings have had their windows blown out and balconies ripped down. There's a lot of damage.

We think it's here that the nine people were killed. There are a lot of emergency services still searching through the rubble (as you can see in our last post) where they think people are possibly buried underneath.

I spoke to a woman whose apartment was badly damaged. She's fled twice from her hometown in the east of Ukraine, an area that is now occupied by Russia.

I asked her if she thinks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should give up those territories to get a peace deal done. She was pretty adamant and said, no, this is "against our constitution".

Last night's attack looks like it could be the deadliest on the capital since last July, and it comes as diplomatic efforts grind on to try to get some sort of ceasefire deal.

This is what it looks like when a Russian missile hits a residential building, in the middle of the night as people sleep in their beds.

We're continuing to get pictures of the aftermath of last night's attack on Kyiv, which includes a residential building that was hit in the city centre.

Neighbours look shocked, many are hugging. Rescue workers are trying to help people out of the rubble, often lifting them out of windows.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images