Zelensky postpones all upcoming foreign visits as Ukraine faces a new Russian offensive
The Hindu
Ukrainian President Zelensky postpones foreign trips amid Russian assault, as U.S. Secretary of State Blinken reassures support in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky postponed all his upcoming foreign trips as Ukraine’s army battled to contain a front-line push by the Kremlin’s forces, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 15 visited a drone manufacturing facility in Kyiv on the second day of a visit meant to reassure Ukrainians of continuing American support.
Mr. Zelensky canceled all foreign visits “that were planned for the coming days,” his office said May 15. The head of state instructed his team to reschedule the visits.
“We are grateful to our partners for understanding,” the announcement said.
Mr. Zelensky had been expected to visit Spain, and perhaps Portugal, later this week. No reason was given for his decision, but Ukraine is having a hard time fending off the latest Russian assault.
Mr. Blinken also toured a grain transshipment facility and a bionics factory, praising Ukrainian innovation and ingenuity in the face of wartime difficulties.
“Ukraine has had to adapt and adjust to this and it’s done so remarkably,” Mr. Blinken said of grain exports now being taken by rail after traditional shipping routes were interrupted by Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.
Russian troops are pressing a fresh offensive in northeast Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. It began last week, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began and forcing almost 8,000 local people to flee their homes. Together with Moscow’s weekslong effort to build on its recent gains in the eastern Donetsk region, the more than two-year war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine’s depleted army.