Russia presses Donbas offensive as the Polish president visits Kyiv
Russia was pressing its offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as Poland's president travelled to Kyiv to support the country's western aspirations and became the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the war.
Ukrainian MPS stood to applaud Polish president Andrzej Duda, who thanked them for the honour of speakingin a place where" the heart of a free, independent and democratic Ukraine beats".
Mr Duda received more applause when he said that to end the conflict, Ukraine did not need to submit to conditions given by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"Unfortunately, in Europe there have also been disturbing voices in recent times demanding that Ukraine yield to Putin's demands," he said.
"I want to say clearly: Only Ukraine has the right to decide about its future. Only Ukraine has the right to decide for itself ."
Mr Duda's visit, his second to Ukraine's capital since April, came as russian and ukrainian forces engaged in battles scattered along a 342-mile wedge of the country's eastern industrial heartland, and as Ukraine pursues european union membership.
After declaring its full control of a sprawling seaside steel plant that was the last defensive holdout in the port city of Mariupol, the Russian military launched artillery and missile attacks in Ukraine's industrial heartland, seeking to expand the territory Moscow-backed separatists have held since 2014.
To bolster its defence against the invasion, Ukraine's parliament voted yesterday to extend martial law and the mobilisation of armed forces for a third time, until August 23.
In a Saturday night video address to the nation,volodymyr zelen sky described the situation in the Donbas as "really hard", but he said his country's ability to with stand nearly three months of full-scale war against Russia was "good news".
"Every day that our defenders take away from these offensive plans of Russia, disrupting them, is a concrete contribution to the approach of the main day. The desired day that we are all looking forward to and fighting for: Victory Day," the president said.
Mr Zelensky stressed on Saturday that the 27-member European Union should consider Ukraine's desire to join the bloc as soon as possible within the context of Russia's invasion.
"I want to emphasise that our European integration path is not just about politics," Mr Zelensky said. "It's about quality of life. And about the fact that Ukrainians perceive the values of life in the same way as the vast majority of Europeans."
Ukraine's potential EU candidacy is set to be discussed at a Brussels summit in late June. The government in Warsaw is ramping up efforts to persuade other EU members that
are more hesitant about accepting the war-ravaged country as a member.
Poland has welcomed millionsof ukrainian refugees and become a gateway for western humanitarian aid and weapons going into Ukraine. It is also a transit point into Ukraine for some foreign fighters, including from Belarus, who have volunteered to fight against the Russian forces.