Russia strikes depot in west Ukraine, battle for Severodonetsk rages
Russian forces said Sunday they had struck a site in western Ukraine storing US and EU-supplied weapons, as the battle intensified for the key eastern city of Severodonetsk.
The strike on the town of Chortkiv, a rare attack by Russia in the relatively calm west of Ukraine, left 22 people injured, the regional governor said.
Meanwhile the situation in Severodonetsk was "extremely difficult", after the Russian army destroyed a second bridge into the city and was heavily bombarding the last one, regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said.
"Ukraine has achieved a lot in the past ten years and much still needs to be done. Our opinion will reflect this carefully," Ursula von der Leyen said after a surprise trip to the capital Kyiv.
Ukraine's geopolitical vulnerability has been laid bare by Russia's February 24 invasion, which has killed thousands, sent millions fleeing and reduced swathes of the country to rubble.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Saturday his country's bid would strengthen the EU.
"There will be many more equally important and, I hope, fruitful talks with European leaders next week," he added.
The war meanwhile has prompted Finland and Sweden to give up decades of military non-alignment and bid to join the NATO alliance, as a deterrent against Russian aggression.
