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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has postponed all upcoming overseas visits as his country grapples with a revived Russian offensive, his spokesperson announced on Wednesday.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed that all international events scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated,” press secretary Sergii Nykyforov said in a statement on Facebook.
The decision comes after Zelenskyy was forced to cancel planned trips to Spain and Portugal this week due to the escalating situation on the battlefield in Ukraine’s northeast.
Russia has launched one of its biggest ground assaults since the start of the invasion over a year ago, focusing its offensive on the Kharkiv region near the Russian border. Ukrainian forces have been engaged in intense combat and conducted a tactical retreat from some areas.
With the fighting raging, Zelenskyy’s presence is required in Kyiv to help manage the military response and coordinate with his top commanders. He has remained in Ukraine throughout the conflict, making multiple front-line visits to boost troop morale.
The foreign trips put on hold likely included visits to the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European allies rallying behind Ukraine. Zelenskyy had frequently travelled to these nations over the past year to lobby for increased military aid and diplomatic support.
Just this month, he made visits to the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany to continue pushing for more heavy weaponry like tanks and warplanes as Ukraine prepares for an expected spring counteroffensive.
While Zelenskyy postponed his travel, Russia’s Vladimir Putin used the one-year anniversary of the invasion on Friday to deliver a defiant speech rejecting diplomacy and doubling down on his rationale for attacking Ukraine.
Despite the Biden administration’s hopes that battle fatigue could encourage a ceasefire, Putin showed no signs of relenting, leaving Ukraine to brace for what could be a protracted and bloody battle ahead.