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Zelenskyy Postpones All Upcoming Visits05/15 06:05
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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 Wednesday visited a drone
manufacturing facility in Kyiv on the second day of a visit meant to reassure
Ukrainians of continuing American support.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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
Wednesday visited a drone manufacturing facility in Kyiv on the second day of a
visit meant to reassure Ukrainians of continuing American support.
Zelenskyy canceled all foreign visits "that were planned for the coming
days," his office said Wednesday on Telegram. The head of state instructed his
team to reschedule the visits.
"We are grateful to our partners for understanding," the announcement said.
Zelenskyy 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.
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,"
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.
Against that grim backdrop, with thousands of Ukrainian troops locked in
fierce battles in towns and villages, Blinken on Tuesday pledged unceasing U.S.
support for the country, during and beyond the war. He also tried to lift
spirits in Kyiv, performing on guitar with a band at a city bar and eating
pizza at a veteran-run restaurant.
Russia is opening new fronts in order to stretch Ukraine's army, which is
short of ammunition and manpower, along the about 1,000-kilometer (620-mile)
front line, hoping defenses will crumble. Russian artillery and sabotage raids
have also been menacing Ukraine's northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions,
Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Tuesday that the army has sent
reinforcements to the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
"It is too early to draw conclusions, but the situation is under control,"
he said.
The pace of Russia's advance in the Kharkiv border region, where it launched
an offensive late last week and has made significant progress, has slowed, the
Institute for the Study of War said late Tuesday. The Washington-based think
tank said Moscow's main aim there is to create a "buffer zone" that will
prevent Ukrainian cross-border strikes on Russia's Belgorod region.
Blinken on Wednesday visited a drone manufacturer on the outskirts of Kyiv
and toured a grain transshipment facility where Ukrainian grain is loaded into
containers for export by rail.
Blinken praised the ingenuity of the process, which local companies adopted
after traditional shipping routes were interrupted by Russia's full-scale
invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.
"Ukraine has had to adapt and adjust to this and it's done so remarkably,"
Blinken said.
Meanwhile, Russian air defenses shot down several Ukrainian missiles over
the Black Sea and near the Belbek air base, Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev
said. Sevastopol is where the Russian Black Sea Fleet is headquartered.
The fragments of downed missiles fell into residential areas but caused no
casualties, Razvozhayev said.
Russian air defenses also shot down nine Ukrainian drones, two Vilha
rockets, two anti-radar HARM missiles and two Hammer guided bombs over the
Belgorod region early Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said.
Two people were injured in the village of Dubovoye when a Ukranian rocket
set their house ablaze, according to Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov.
The military said five other Ukrainian drones were downed over the Kursk
region and three drones were shot down over the Bryansk region.
The Defense Ministry also said that another Ukrainian drone was downed over
the Tatarstan region. Tatarstan is located more than 1,000 kilometers (600
miles) east of the border with Ukraine.
Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, said two drones attacked
a fuel depot. He said there were no casualties or fire.
Ukraine has launched a steady series of drone attacks on oil refineries and
fuel depots across Russia over the past months, causing significant damage.
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