BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said Russia had shown no signs of readiness to end the ongoing war, as he met European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to seek further European assistance for Ukraine's energy infrastructure, air defence and financial resilience. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the meeting focused on strengthening support for Kyiv amid continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. "I had a good meeting with the President of the European Council, António Costa @eucopresident, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen. Right now, there are no signals from Russia that it is ready to end its war. The signals it is sending point to something entirely different and certainly do not bring peace any closer," Zelenskyy said.
He said Russia launched a strike on Kharkiv following overnight attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving two people dead and 17 others injured. Zelenskyy also reported that Russian forces struck a shopping mall in Rivne and energy facilities in four regions.
"Two people have already been reported killed. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Seventeen others were injured," he said.
Calling for stronger European leadership, Zelenskyy stressed the need to protect civilians from Russian attacks and said the discussions with Costa and von der Leyen covered immediate assistance for Ukraine's energy and air defence requirements. (ANI)
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