Ukraine kept fighting on Saturday, despite a new blessing for its European Union ambitions and a promise of continued strong British support, with Kyiv’s troops repelling a Russian assault on a key eastern city and communities pounded by more heavy shelling.
Following Friday’s recommendation from the bloc’s executive, EU leaders are expected to grant Ukraine candidate status at a summit next week, putting Kyiv on track to realise an aspiration seen as out of reach before the invasion, even if actual membership could take years.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who paid an unexpected visit to Kyiv on Friday and offered training to Ukrainian forces, emphasised on Saturday the importance of continuing to support the country and avoiding ‘Ukraine fatigue’ after nearly four months of war.
The industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, a key target in Moscow’s offensive to seize full control of the eastern Luhansk region, remained under heavy Russian artillery and rocket fire on Saturday, according to the Ukrainian military.
‘In order to improve their tactical situation, enemy units attempted but failed to carry out assault operations outside the city,’ the armed forces general staff stated in a daily update.
Overnight shelling was reported in multiple locations in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Kharkiv, as well as further west in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk. Rockets struck the central city of Kryvyi Rih on Saturday, killing at least two people, according to local authorities on the messaging app Telegram.
Post Your Comments