Russia has stepped up its offensive in the Donbass and launched artillery and missile attacks in the eastern region of Ukraine. The situation is “extremely difficult,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In order to strengthen its defence, the Kiev parliament has decided to extend martial law and the mobilization of the armed forces for the third time until August 23. Moscow is attempting to seize control of Severodonetsk, the capital of Ukraine in Luhansk province, and is preparing to resume the offensive against Slovyansk, a strategic city for control of Donbass.
Severodonetsk is “transforming into a new Mariupol,” said Kiev parliament’s human rights commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova, noting that Russian forces on Saturday “deliberately bombed a school where about 200 residents were hiding in the basement. Three were killed and three others hurt.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine could lose up to 100 soldiers a day in fighting in the east of the country. “Between 50 and 100 soldiers could die every day defending Ukraine in the east of the country,” “in the most difficult area,” Zelenskyy said in a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, according to the Kyiv Independent.
And while fighting continued in the east, Polish President Andrzej Duda made a surprise arrival in Kyiv, met with the President of Ukraine and spoke to the Ukrainian Parliament. Duda was the first foreign leader to address the Verchovna Rada.
The Polish leader said Ukraine does not have to submit to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s terms in order to end the conflict. “Unfortunately, there have been disturbing rumors in Europe lately, demanding that Ukraine give in to Putin’s demands. I want to say clearly: only Ukraine has the right to decide its future,” said Duda to applause from Ukrainian parliamentarians .
Zelenskyy repeated in order to speed up the process of Kiev’s accession to the European Union. The Polish government is stepping up efforts to persuade the other more reluctant EU member states to join the Union for Ukraine. However, French Minister for European Affairs Clément Beaune stated in an interview with Radio J that it will take between 15 and 20 years for Ukraine to join. “We have to be honest. If we say that Ukraine will join the EU in 6 months, a year or 2 years, we are lying. That’s not true. It’s definitely 15 or 20 years, that’s a long time,” Beaune said.