Ukraine's Zelensky visits war-torn southern city as battles rageThe European Commission spearheaded a powerful show of solidarity on Friday by backing Ukraine for EU candidate statusKYIV (UKRAINE) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the war-damaged southern city of Mykolaiv on Saturday for the first time since the Russian invasion as "fierce battles" raged again in the eastern Donbas region. Making a rare trip outside Kyiv, Zelensky surveyed a badly-damaged high-rise building and met officials in Mykolaiv, which has been holding the defence of the Black Sea coast against Moscow's troops. Zelensky has appealed for western support and weapons, and he hailed an announcement from Brussels on Friday that it backed Ukraine's EU membership drive as a "historic achievement." Ukrainian democratic habits have not lost their power even now," Zelensky said in a video address overnight. They (Russia) do not control the city entirely," the governor of the eastern Lugansk region, Sergiy Gaiday, said on Telegram.

Source: Bangkok Post June 19, 2022 01:59 UTC