In a Saturday night video address to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in the Donbas as “really hard” but 'the fact that we are able to say this on the 87th day of a full-scale war against Russia is good news.”
POKROVSK, Ukraine — Russia pressed its offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region Sunday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the outcome of the grueling conflict would determine whether his country's fate lies with the West or under Moscow's domination.
Zelenskyy's remarks came as Poland’s president prepared to meet with him to support Ukraine's goal of becoming a candidate for European Union membership, a issue set to be decided at an EU summit in late June. Russia appeared to have made slow grinding moves forward in the Donbas in recent days. It intensified efforts to capture Sievierodonetsk, the main city under Ukrainian control in Luhansk province, which together with Donetsk province makes up the Donbas.
In a general staff morning report, Russia also said that it was preparing to resume its offensive toward Slovyansk, a city in Donetsk province that is critical to Russia’s objective of capturing all of eastern Ukraine and saw fierce fighting last month after Moscow’s troops backed off from Kyiv. The Russian Defense Ministry released video of Ukrainian soldiers being detained after announcing that its forces had removed the last holdouts from the Mariupol plant’s extensive underground tunnels. It said a total of 2,439 had surrendered.
Denis Pushilin, the pro-Kremlin head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, vowed the Ukrainian fighters from the plant. He said the fighters included some foreign nationals, though he did not provide details.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia Presses Donbas Offensive as Polish Leader Visits KyivRussia is bolstering its offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the outcome of the grueling conflict would determine whether his country’s fate lies with the West or under Moscow’s domination. The Russian military launched airstrikes and artillery and missile attacks in Ukraine’s industrial heartland, seeking to expand the territory Moscow-backed separatists have held since 2014. Poland’s president made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to support Ukraine’s goal of becoming a candidate for European Union membership, a issue set to be decided at an EU summit in June. Polish President Andrzej Duda on Sunday became the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the war.
Read more »
Russia aims to capitalize on controlling the Ukrainian port city of MariupolMore than a thousand soldiers were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant, and Russia is consolidating control of Mariupol. It is making plans to annex the southwestern parts of the country.
Read more »
Ukrainian Oligarch Seeks to Distance Himself From Russia by Mulling Sale of SuperyachtAs his steel mill in Mariupol, Ukraine, was being destroyed by Russian bombs, becoming the site of a last stand by the city’s defenders, billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, emerged as a staunch supporter of the country’s war effort. But even as Akhmetov pledged to help rebuild Ukraine, a large portion of his fortune was committed to a secret vanity project that speaks to his past as a pro-Russian oligarch: A German shipyard is building a superyacht for his family’s use. The yacht,
Read more »
Ukrainian negotiator rules out ceasefire or concessions to RussiaUkraine on Saturday ruled out agreeing to a ceasefire with Russia and said Kyiv would not accept any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory. Acknowledging that Kyiv's stance on the war was becoming more uncompromising, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said making concessions would backfire on Ukraine because Russia would hit back harder after any break in fighting. Podolyak dismissed as 'very strange' calls in the West for an urgent ceasefire that would involve Russian forces remaining in territory they have occupied in Ukraine's south and east.
Read more »
Why Russia might want us to think Putin is sickNever shy to brandish an image of vigor during his presidency, a seemingly frailer than usual Vladimir Putin has added to speculation over whether the Russian leader is the sick man of Europe. Read more:
Read more »