Ukraine's Zelensky Visits Front-Line Troops As Russia Intensifies Attacks:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited front-line troops in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, his office said on Sunday, a week after a similar trip to the northeastern Kharkiv region.

"I want to thank you for your great work, for your service, for protecting all of us, our state," the statement quoted Zelensky as saying, adding that he held a minute of silence for fallen troops.

Oleksandr Starukh, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region told Zelensky that some 60% of the region's territory is under Russian occupation, with more than 2,700 infrastructure objects either damaged or destroyed.

Zelensky's office later said the president also visited a medical facility in the region and spoke with people forced to leave their homes, including from Mariupol, which is now in Russian hands after being under siege for weeks.

Opinion: The EU must get a grip;

"I don't blame any of you. The blame for everything that is happening lies solely with the Russian state," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the start of a video message to EU leaders in Brussels, his manner unusually mild. All the same, the message made it abundantly clear what is at stake for his country.

Since the EU's previous, the fifth sanctions package, 74 children were killed, and numerous hospitals and schools reduced to rubble by the Russian army, Zelenskyy said. So why, he mused, can Russia still make almost a billion euros a day selling energy?

Really, why? The Europeans argued about an oil embargo against Russia for weeks. The unity the bloc had demonstrated in the first weeks of the war seemed to be over. Instead, Europe was caught up in an embarrassing, never ending story.

Russia intensifies push for Donbas;

Ukraine war to colour WHO international meeting: "The situation in Donbas is extremely difficult," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. The Ukraine war looms large as the World Health Organization opens its main annual assembly Sunday, threatening to overshadow efforts on other health crises and a reform push aimed at preventing future pandemics. Follow FRANCE 24's live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

No one can predict length of Ukraine war, says Zelensky:

Russia's offensive in Ukraine is set to enter the 12th week with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky saying on Friday night that “no one can predict the length of the war”. In his nightly video address to the nation, Zelensky said, “This will depend, unfortunately, not only on our people, who are already giving their maximum. This will depend on our partners, on European countries, on the entire free world.

Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia has defended its actions. The country’s president, Vladimir Putin, has said that the special military operation was necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Moscow and the Kremlin had to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people.

Finland to announce decision on joining NATO on Sunday, reports AFP:

As the fighting raged between Russia and Ukraine, Kyiv said it has recaptured Pytomnyk - a village about halfway to the Russian border. Warnings were issued about the fate of civilians and the last fighters in the southern port of Mariupol, following intense bombardment by Russia in the past weeks which, according to the city's mayor, had turned the city into a "medieval ghetto". The war which began on February 24 has shown no signs of let up as reconciliations during the first month of fighting did not reach any significant breakthrough. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky told French students via videolink, "The war will end when Russia returns our right to live". Meanwhile, Ukraine will launch its first war crime trial over the Russian invasion. Kyiv and Washington have repeatedly accused Russian troops of committing war crimes since the invasion, which has sparked a massive exodus of nearly six million civilians, many of whom bear accounts of torture, sexual violence and indiscriminate destruction.

Ukrainian mine-sniffing dog awarded medal from Zelensky after finding more than 200 explosives:

A mine-sniffing dog credited with finding more than 200 explosives since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began was feted by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in a special ceremony on Sunday.

Patron, a 2 1/2-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, was awarded a medal for “Dedicated Work in the Ukraine Army.” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also present at his award ceremony over the weekend.

In a video shared by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Twitter, Patron is seen walking into the ceremony with his handler Myhailo Iliev, who is a major in the Civil Protection Service, according to Reuters.

UK To Provide 1.3 Billion Pounds Of Further Military Support To Ukraine:

Britain said it would provide a further 1.3 billion pounds ($1.60 billion) in military support and aid to Ukraine, making the pledge ahead of a planned video call on Sunday by Group of Seven leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Prime Minister Johnson has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine's efforts to resist Russian forces since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion on Feb. 24. Johnson's government has sent anti-tank missiles, air defence systems and other weapons to Ukraine.

The new pledge almost doubles Britain's previous spending commitments on Ukraine and the government said this is the highest rate of spending on a conflict since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, although it did not give details of this calculation.

East Ukraine under heavy fire in advance of Russian holiday:

Russia pounded a wide area of Ukraine on Thursday, including Kyiv, bombarding the city while the head of the United Nations was visiting in the boldest attack on the capital since Moscow's forces retreated weeks ago.

At least one person was killed and several were injured in the attack on Kyiv, including some who were trapped in the rubble when two buildings were hit, rescue officials said.

The bombardment came barely an hour after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a news conference with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who said Ukraine has become "an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain." A spokesperson said Guterres and his team were safe.

Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the country, in Polinne in the west, Chernihiv near the border with Belarus, and in Fastiv, a large railway hub southwest of the capital. The mayor of Odesa in southern Ukraine said rockets were intercepted by air defenses.

Biden seeks $33B for Ukraine, signaling long-term commitment:

President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday for $33 billion to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia, signaling a burgeoning and long-haul American commitment as Moscow’s invasion and the international tensions it has inflamed show no signs of receding.

The package has about $20 billion in defense spending for Ukraine and U.S. allies in the region and $8.5 billion to keep Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government providing services and paying salaries. There’s $3 billion in global food and humanitarian programs, including money to help Ukrainian refugees who’ve fled to the U.S. and to prod American farmers to grow wheat and other crops to replace the vast amounts of food Ukraine normally produces.

The package, which administration officials estimated would last five months, is more than twice the size of the initial $13.6 billion aid measure that Congress enacted early last month and now is almost drained. With the bloody war dragging into its third month, the measure was designed to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that U.S. weaponry and other streams of assistance are not going away.

Russia-Ukraine War:

Russia pounded targets from practically one end of Ukraine to the other Thursday, including Kyiv, bombarding the city while the head of the United Nations was visiting in the boldest attack on the capital since Moscow’s forces retreated weeks ago.

Ukrainian emergency services said 10 people were wounded when a Russian missile hit a 25-story apartment building in Kyiv on Thursday evening and set off a fire, which partially destroyed the first and second floors.

The bombardment came barely an hour after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a news conference with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who said Ukraine has become “an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain.”

A spokesperson said Guterres and his team were safe.

Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the country — in Polonne in the west, Chernihiv near the border with Belarus, and Fastiv, a large railway hub southwest of the capital.