Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tacitly acknowledged for the first time Saturday that his forces had launched a highly anticipated counteroffensive against invading Russian troops, as the fighting intensified in eastern and southern Ukraine.
“heavy battles” in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Ukrainian forces advanced near Bakhmut, in Donetsk, by about three-quarters of a mile,Britain’s Defense Ministry said in an update Saturday that “significant” Ukrainian operations had taken place in the previous 48 hours, with Ukrainian forces having “likely made good progress and penetrated the first line of Russian defense” in some areas while moving “slower” in others.
In a joint statement with Zelensky on Saturday, Trudeau said, “Canada supports Ukraine to become a NATO member as soon as conditions allow for it.”NATO members are due to vote on whether Ukraine should be invited to join the alliance at a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July. If they vote in favor, it will still likely take several years for Ukraine to become a member.
In Ukraine, the government and its allies also were focused on emergency relief efforts in the Kherson region after the collapse of a major dam on Tuesday caused devastating flooding.
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