Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky visits troops near Pokrovsk after elite forces killed at awards ceremony

Russia’s air defence units destroyed 40 Ukrainian drones overnight, TASS news agency reported this morning, citing data from the Russian defence ministry.

Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his desire for Ukraine to join the EU by 2030.

“Ukraine is fighting for its independence, and our future is in the EU, which is part of our independence … and for us, it is an important factor that we are highly assessed in this [report],” he said, speaking during a visit to frontline troops near Pokrovsk.

The president said he “would not like this [accession] process to be too long,” but acknowledged that this “does not depend on us”.

“The quicker Ukraine is able to open the clusters and to have the fully fledged negotiations, the better it is for us,” he added.

His statement comes after the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the EU could admit new members by 2030.

“Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine and the geopolitical shifts make the case for enlargement very clear cut,” Kallas told reporters.

“It is a necessity if we want to be a stronger player on the world stage.”

She added that “new countries joining the European Union by 2030 is a realistic goal” and said Montenegro was the most advanced in the accession process.

An explosion at the Sterlitamak petrochemical plant in Russia’s Bashkortostan caused a partial collapse of a water-treatment facility, the administration of the city of Sterlitamak has said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, the administration said yesterday.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion.

Brussels Airport has been closed and all flights grounded after the reported sighting of a drone, Belgian air traffic control has said.

“There are no flights currently landing or taking off,” a spokeswoman said, adding she could not estimate how long the airport would remain closed.

Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened on Tuesday evening after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings. It was unclear when flights would resume.

Nicole Wootton-Cane reports.

Ukrainian president said the operational situation near Pokrovsk and on its outskirts was the main topic of discussion with the servicemen.

Zelensky has claimed the Russian army has been forced to “push back” its deadlines for capturing the regions of Pokrovsk and Dobropillia.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian leader wrote: “The Russian army has once again been forced to push back the deadlines it had drawn up for itself for capturing Pokrovsk and Dobropillia. And every Russian loss contributes to our ability to defend our state, our people, our independence.

“It is symbolic that today we have the most positive European Commission report in three years. This gives Ukrainians even more motivation as Europe recognizes our joint efforts. Ukraine is doing everything to gain EU membership. Even in wartime, even amid the toughest battles, our state keeps moving forward in the membership talks, which is absolutely unprecedented across Europe.

“Every other EU member state has followed a much easier path. It is crucial that our results are met with proper support in Europe – that the EU fulfills its commitments.

“Ukraine is ready to open the clusters, and we need a European decision on this. I thank everyone who is helping. I am proud of our people, proud of every single one of our warriors.”

Volodymyr Zelensky said he met Ukrainian soldiers near the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, where one of the fiercest front-line battles between Russia and Ukraine is underway.

President Zelensky yesterday on X claimed he visited a command post of the 1st Corps, which was conducting a defensive operation.”I heard reports from the military; we discussed the situation on the frontline and the most urgent needs. Much attention was given to weapons, scaling up drone production, needs of brigades,” Zelensky wrote on X.

He added: “I am grateful to the warriors for defending Ukraine and our territorial integrity. This is our country, this is our East, and we will certainly do our utmost to keep it Ukrainian.”

Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced into Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year.

Zelensky said Pokrovsk remained under severe pressure, though Russian troops had made no gains in the past day. He said up to 300 Russian servicemen had infiltrated the city.

Ukraine’s military units are competing with each other by launching deadly drone attacks to earn points that can be used to buy more weapons.

The video game-style rewards system is proving to be very popular, Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister said, with hundreds of units participating. Launched a year ago, it is now being expanded to reconnaissance, artillery and logistics operations, according to reports.

“It’s become truly popular among units,” deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov told The Guardian. “All the defence forces know about this and there’s competition for the points, for getting these drones, electronic warfare systems and other things to help them in warfighting.

“The more infantry you kill, the more drones you get to kill more infantry. This is becoming kind of a self-reinforcing cycle.”

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