Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today announced the start of the Russian offensive against the east of the country. The region is partially under the control of proRussian separatists.
“Now we can say that Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass, for which they have been preparing for a long time. A large part of the entire Russian army is now devoted to this offensive,” he said in a speech broadcast on Telegram.
Zelenskyy said yesterday that the country will not give up the Donbass region in order to end the war against Russia. For the president, resistance to Russian attacks in the region could affect the entire course of the war.
“I don’t trust either the Russian military or the Russian leadership. So we understand that even though we fought and they left Kyiv, that doesn’t mean that if they win Donbass, they won’t [avançar] in the direction of Kyiv”, says Zelenskyj in an interview with CNN, which was published this Sunday (17).
Picture: UOL Art.No
Zelenskyy says Ukraine could become an EU candidate in weeks
The President of Ukraine on Monday (18th) officially presented a European Union envoy with a completed questionnaire on the country’s joining the bloc. Zelenskyi said he believes the move will result in Ukraine being granted official candidate status within a few weeks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen handed the questionnaire to Zelenskyy during a visit to Kyiv on April 8, promising a faster procedure for Ukraine’s EU candidacy after Russia’s invasion of the country.
Zelenskyy presented the finished document to the EU envoy in Ukraine at a meeting, images released by his government showed.
“We firmly believe that this process (granting of candidate status) will take place in the coming weeks and that it will be positive for the history of our people given the price paid on the road to independence and democracy,” he said Ukrainian leaders said during the meeting. .
* With AFP