Ukrainian leader attends D-Day events as he seeks Western aid to check Russia’s invasion

By SAMYA KULLAB and SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has joined world leaders in France to commemorate the D-Day invasion and seek more Western help, even as his forces battle to stave off a Russian onslaught near the eastern city of Kharkiv in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena, attended the 80th anniversary events in Normandy with U.S. President Joe Biden and European leaders who have supported Kyiv’s efforts in the war, now in its third year. Ukraine is fighting to hold back a recent Russian push in eastern areas, including the border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk. The offensive seeks to exploit Kyiv’s shortages of ammunition and troops along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.