Tusk, Zelensky discuss Kharkiv situation
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, engaged in a phone conversation with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which they discussed the current situation at the Kharkiv front, which has witnessed intensified Russian strikes, the Prime Minister's Office has reported.
"The president called to present the situation in Kharkiv, where he met before noon today with commanders of the troops defending the city," the Prime Minister's Office wrote on the X platform on Thursday.
Russian forces have launched an assault on the eastern region of Kharkiv. The city, the second largest in Ukraine, is not currently directly threatened. Owing to the ongoing offensive, Zelensky cancelled his visit to Belgium and Spain in order to travel to Kharkiv.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, the conversation lasted nearly an hour and also touched on "the upcoming NATO summit."
Zelensky wrote on the X platform later in the day that he and Tusk had directed their teams "to begin work on the bilateral security agreement text immediately."
"Such an agreement between historical partners must be as ambitious as possible," he added.
French News Agency AFP reported on Thursday that, since May 9, Russia has managed to seize 278 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, the most in the last year and a half of war. (PAP)
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