Zelenskyy asks to postpone international events with his participation due to Russian offensive

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed to postpone all international events with his participation, planned for the coming days, reported the press service of the President's Office.

"Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed to postpone all international events with his participation, planned for the coming days, and to schedule new dates. We are grateful to our partners for their understanding," the statement reads.

Earlier, the Spanish publication EFE, citing sources, reported that Zelenskyy canceled his visit to Spain, scheduled for May 17. According to diplomatic sources, the trip of the Ukrainian president, which also included Portugal, was canceled due to the difficult situation at the front, where the Russian forces went on the offensive in the north of the Kharkiv Oblast.

The presidency noted that the head of state held a daily teleconference regarding the situation in the Kharkiv sector and the provision of the Defense Forces. Chief of the General Staff Anatoliy Barhylevych reported on the situation.

The commanders of the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard, and army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi himself, who makes all decisions "on the basis of comprehensive information", are working on the spot.

"Additional forces are being deployed, we have reserves. The intelligence services – Defense Intelligence and Foreign Intelligence Service – see all the possible moves of the enemy. Oleksandr Syrskyi regularly reports to the president about the situation," the President's Office said.

In the early hours of May 10, 2024, the Russian military launched a new wave of offensive on the Kharkiv axis. The Russians tried to break through the Ukrainian defense line under the cover of armored vehicles. The Ukrainian Armed Forces sent reserve units there.

On May 13, the Secretary of the NSDC Lytvynenko stated that Ukraine does not see a direct threat to Kharkiv, however, the Russians have concentrated about 50,000 troops on the border, with more than 30,000 soldiers participating in the assault.

On May 14, Ukraine's spymaster Kyrylo Budanov said that in Kharkiv Oblast, the Defense Forces blocked the Russian units, and now they are trying to drive them out of there.

In the evening of May 14, the General Staff reported that units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had moved to new positions near Vovchansk and Lukyantsi.