Russia escalates its attack in eastern Ukraine, while Polish leader visits Kyiv to support the country's EU aspirations

Russia pressed its offensive in eastern Ukraine as Poland's President traveled to Kyiv to support the country's European Union aspirations.

Kyiv: Russia pressed its offensive in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as Poland's president traveled to Kyiv to support the country's European Union aspirations, becoming the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the war.

Lawmakers gave a standing ovation to President Andrzej Duda, who thanked them for the honor of speaking where the heart of a free, independent and democratic Ukraine beats. Duda said that to end the conflict, Ukraine did not need to submit to conditions given by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Unfortunately, in Europe there have also been disturbing voices in recent times demanding that Ukraine yield to Putin's demands, he said. I want to say clearly: Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future. Only Ukraine has the right to decide for itself. ALSO READ: Edible oil gets a massive price cut: Here’s how much it will cost now

Duda's visit, his second to Kyiv since April, came as Russian and Ukrainian forces battled along a 551-kilometer (342-mile) wedge of the country's eastern industrial heartland. After declaring full control of a sprawling seaside steel plant that was the last defensive holdout in the port city of Mariupol, Russia launched artillery and missile attacks to expand the territory that Moscow-backed separatists have held since 2014 in the region known as the Donbas.

To bolster its defenses, Ukraine's parliament voted Sunday to extend martial law and the mobilization of armed forces for a third time, until Aug. 23. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed that the 27-member EU should expedite his country's request to join the bloc. Ukraine's potential candidacy is set to be discussed at a Brussels summit in late June.