During a meeting with European leaders Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky framed Russia’s invasion as an attack on the continent at large as he repeated his call for Ukraine to receive European Union membership. Ukrainians are defending themselves against the “most anti-European force in the modern world,” he told leaders on his second trip abroad since the war began. “We, Ukrainians, are on the battlefield with you.”
While visiting Brussels, the Ukrainian president continued to request fighter jets and other military equipment. European Parliament president Roberta Metsola urged nations to offer more assistance. “States must consider quickly steps to providing long-range systems and the jets you need to protect the liberty too many have taken for granted,” she said.
Meanwhile, air raid alerts rang out across eastern and central Ukraine early Friday. The Kharkiv region came under attack, with about 10 explosions recorded, its governor, Oleh Synyehubov, said on Telegram. Some areas that had lost power and emergency services were working to determine the scale of destruction and whether there were casualties, he added.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
