Zelensky will urge allies in Madrid to pressure Putin as Russia prepares to take Kharkiv

It is expected that during the meeting with Sánchez he will sign the bilateral security agreement with which Spain undertakes to continue providing military support to Ukraine in its war conflict. It’s about the Zelensky’s first bilateral visit to Spainignoring last October in Granada on the occasion of the summit of the European Political Community within the framework of the Spanish presidency of the EU.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russia advances and riddles Kharkiv. Last Saturday the troops of Vladimir Putin bombed a hypermarket in which – at the time of the attack – there were about 200 people, to later repeat the maneuver against the center of the city. A day later they performed again, this time in the town of Berestove in his attempt to expand the “sanitary zone” next to the Russian border. “The units of the Zapad military group liberated Berestove thanks to their successful war actions,” said the military department.

From Kharkiv, where an attack on the hypermarket on Saturday left at least 12 dead and 43 injuredZelensky called on world leaders to increase their support for air defense. He stated that “Russia is run by men who want to make burning lives the normdestroy cities and towns, divide people and erase national borders through war.”

The president of Ukraine added that more than a million people live in Kharkiv, subjected day and night to Russian bombingsmainly with S-300 missiles, and now also with guided aerial bombs, with Russian planes flying close to the state border and dropping these weapons of indiscriminate destruction directly on them.

The president of USAJoe Biden, reiterated his support for Ukraine, despite remaining firm in his decision to do not send American soldiers to war. “There are no American soldiers in the Ukrainian War. I am determined to keep it that way,” she said.

In Europe, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, flatly rejected allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons against Russian territory. The social democratic leader reiterated his position that wants to “avoid a big war” beyond Ukraine whether kyiv uses German and Western weapons to hit Russian military targets.

[Ucrania resiste la nueva ofensiva rusa también en Bilohorivka, pero la situación es crítica]

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin advances positions in the creation of the “sanitary zone”, to protect border regions. Russia has gained more Ukrainian territory in 2024 than it lost during Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.

Moscow’s forces have taken over 654 square kilometers (compared to Madrid, which has 604.3 km²) since the beginning of this year, surpassing the 414 lost to Ukraine between June 1 and October 1 last year. This means that Putin has achieved a positive balance, with a total of 222 square kilometers of territory more (only since May 2). According to Pasi Paroinen, analyst at Black Bird Group.

Zelensky knows it. On Sunday he warned that Russia is building a new troop buildup near the border with Ukraine, 90 kilometers from the northeastern city of Kharkiv. “Russia is precisely the only source of aggression and constantly trying to spread the war. Right now, these days, we are defending ourselves 60 kilometers northeast of this place of a new Russian assault attempt“Zelensky said from Kharkiv.

He added that “Russia is preparing to attempt offensive actions also 90 kilometers northwest of here.” “Another group of troops is gathering near our border. Whoever does this does not want peace“, he claimed.