President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has cancelled a trip to Spain and Portugal, with some media outlets reporting it is because of renewed fighting in Ukraine.
King Felipe of Spain was due to hold a reception for Mr Zelenskiy on Friday.
The Ukrainian leader was then expected to sign a bilateral security cooperation agreement with Portugal’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
A spokesperson for the Portuguese government said Mr Zelenskiy had cancelled the visit but did not give a reason, while the Spanish government said it could not comment for security reasons.
Yesterday, the western and northern parts of Vovchansk in Ukraine’s Kharkhiv region fell under the control of Russian forces, according to the TASS state news agency.
The head of the Ukrainian police force in the Kharkiv region has described the situation in the town of Vovchansk as “extremely difficult”.
Oleksiy Kharkivskiy, Vovchansk’s patrol police chief, said on Facebook that Russian forces are establishing positions inside the town.
Yesterday Russia claimed it had taken parts of Vovchansk and the border village of Buhruvatka.
It is part of Moscow’s pressing offensive on the Kharkiv region, which began on Friday after weeks of speculation that Russia was preparing to establish a new frontline there, and is forcing Ukraine to rush in reinforcements.
