Ukraine’s leader courts allies as Russia strikes hometown

By HANNA ARHIROVA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is working to add political momentum to Ukraine’s recent military gains against Russia. A week after a Ukrainian counteroffensive caused Russian troops to retreat from a northeast region, Zelenskyy met with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen during her third visit to Kyiv since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Air raid sirens blared several times in the Ukrainian capital during the meeting. Missile strikes that caused flooding near Zelenskky’s central Ukraine hometown demonstrated Moscow’s determination to reclaim the battlefield advantage. The Ukrainian leader said the only way to guarantee the security of his country’s people was to “close the sky” with Western-supplied air defense systems.