Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky cancels foreign trips amid Russian gains around Kharkiv
- The leader was due to visit Spain and Portugal, but the visits are on hold as Kyiv faces what analysts describe as one of its most perilous moments in the war
- Ukraine has been forced to pull back some troops, with Russia’s forces capturing several villages and threatening to take Kharkiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled all trips abroad in the coming days in light of the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, his spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov said on Wednesday.
Zelensky was to visit Spain and Portugal at the end of the week.
Russia began a ground and air assault on Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv, in the northeast, and the surrounding region last week.
In what analysts describe as one of the most perilous moments for Kyiv in the war, Moscow’s forces have been able to capture several villages as they continue to bombard Kharkiv with missiles.
Worries are mounting that Russia is using the wave of attacks on the city to possibly lay the groundwork to capture Kharkiv.
The military leadership in Kyiv – struggling with a lack of weapons, ammunition and soldiers – said earlier on Wednesday that troops were being withdrawn from some Kharkiv positions.