OMM Newsroom
The death toll from a Russian strike on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region has risen to 43, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Speaking at the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, Zelenskyy said the search-and-rescue operation had entered its fourth day, with dozens of people potentially still under the rubble.
On the sidelines of the summit, Zelenskyy met European Council President Antonio Costa and discussed Ukraine’s EU accession process. He said Kyiv aimed to close all negotiating clusters by the end of this year and move to the next stage of negotiations in 2027.
Zelenskyy said he presented proposals to accelerate the process, which Costa would discuss with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They also discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi and Ukraine’s priorities, he said.
He stressed that European representatives should participate in discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine and its economic recovery.
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy met Portuguese President Antonio Jose Seguro. He said the talks focused on energy assistance and cooperation in weapons production.
At a separate meeting with Andorran Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora, Zelenskyy said they discussed efforts to return Ukrainian children displaced because of the conflict with Russia.
Ukraine has returned 2,790 children out of more than 20,000 whom Kyiv says were taken from the country, Zelenskyy said. He added that the two sides agreed to maintain contact and coordinate their efforts.
