KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy are each courting major allies on Thursday, seeking to prop up their efforts inIn Uzbekistan’s ancient Samarkand, Putin was hoping to break through his international isolation and further cement his ties within a geopolitical alliance increasingly seen as potent counterweight to the Western powers.
Von der Leyen said she would address “how to continue getting our economies and people closer while Ukraine progresses towards accession” to the European Union, which is likely still years away in even the best of circumstances. Germany has been hesitant on such moves for long, but Annalena Baerbock said that"in the decisive phase that Ukraine currently finds itself, I also don’t believe that it’s a decision which can be delayed for long.”
Zelenskyy himself remained in a buoyant mood, saying that almost 400 settlements had been retaken in less that a week of fighting.