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Ukrainian forces will have to leave key eastern city, Luhansk governor says; retired Russian major captured
Remaining in positions "smashed to pieces just for the sake of staying there" doesn't make sense, Luhansk's governor said of Ukraine's fight in Severodonetsk.
International
Ukraine is ‘not a pillow between the West and Russia, not a buffer,’ Zelenskyy says
Ukraine is not a “gray zone” or buffer between the West and Russia, its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on the messaging app Telegram, in a post celebrating Ukraine’s candidacy status for European Union membership.
“It is officially recognized that Ukraine is not a bridge, not a pillow between the West and Russia, not a buffer between Europe and Asia, not a sphere of influence, not a ‘gray’ zone, not a transit territory. Not the border between orcs and elves,” Zelenskyy wrote, according to a Google translation of the Telegram post on his official channel. Orcs and elves refer to the names many in Ukraine use for Russian troops and Ukrainians, respectively, drawing on terms from the Lord of the Rings series.
“Ukraine is a future equal partner for at least 27 EU countries,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Ukraine is a candidate for accession to the European Union!”