Zelensky Calls Off Foreign Visits Amid Escalating Russian Offensive
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has made the decision to cancel all foreign trips as a Russian offensive in north-east Ukraine gains significant ground.
Excel Magazine International recalls that the situation escalated on Friday when Russia launched a new cross-border incursion close to Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv.
Reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have pulled back from some areas in the border region, but in an update on Wednesday afternoon, they announced they had “repelled” a Russian offensive in the border town of Vovchansk.
The city’s police department described the situation as “extremely difficult” and urged residents to evacuate, though the Ukrainian military claimed to have “partially pushed back” Russian forces from parts of Vovchansk.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced an extra $2 billion of US funding for Ukraine.
“We’re rushing ammunition, armoured vehicles, missiles, air defences to get them to the front lines,” Blinken stated during his visit.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, has indicated that work to plan a further “military operation” in Ukraine is underway.
Speaking from the Kremlin, Putin asserted that Russian troops were improving their positions daily and that the advance was going according to plan.
He also announced an increase in defence spending to more than 8% of GDP in the coming year.
