Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky arrives in Paris for Macron talks as Putin blames UK for factory strike
Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Thursday for talks with Emmanuel Macron, as tensions with Moscow escalated after Vladimir Putin accused the UK of involvement in a Ukrainian strike on a Russian facility.
The Ukrainian president is expected to discuss the battlefield situation and military support from France and other European partners, as well as efforts to increase pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Macron’s office sources have told Reuters.
Moscow lashed out furiously at Britain overnight after UK-made Storm Shadow missiles were used in a Ukrainian strike on a factory in western Russia’s Bryansk that killed seven people.
Ukraine has rejected Russia’s claim that the strike hit civilian infrastructure, saying the facility in question was producing components for Russian missiles.
Earlier, Ukraine said its troops controlled almost all of the Dnipropetrovsk region after liberating 400 square kilometres in counterattacks.
Officials said it undermined Russia’s attempted strategy of seizing a strip of territory beyond its stated claims in the Donbas, to serve as a “buffer zone” and support further offensive operations.
