Current:Home > NewsZelenskyy visits NATO candidate Sweden for 1st time since full-scale war with Russia-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Zelenskyy visits NATO candidate Sweden for 1st time since full-scale war with Russia
View Date:2024-12-23 20:45:18
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Sweden on Saturday — his first visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the Swedish government said.
It said Zelenskyy will meet Swedish government officials in Harpsund, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Stockholm. He will also meet Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area.
Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia. It also applied for NATO membership but is still waiting to join the alliance.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.
The Kremlin said that Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscow’s operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District.
The exact timings of his visit were not confirmed, but state media published video footage that appeared to be filmed at night, showing Gerasimov greeting Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.
Putin’s visit was the first since the Wagner mercenary group ’s attempted mutiny in June, which saw the group’s fighters briefly take control of Rostov-on-Don.
During June’s short-lived revolt, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin repeatedly denounced Gerasimov, who serves as chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying supplies to his fighters in Ukraine.
Prigozhin claimed that the uprising was not aimed at Putin but at removing Gerasimov and other top brass who he claimed were mismanaging the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine this week has claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front, regaining control of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region on Wednesday.
The leader of the Russian battalion fighting to maintain control of Urozhaine called for “freezing the front” on Thursday, claiming his troops “cannot win” against Ukraine.
“Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no,” Alexander Khodakovsky said in a video posted to Telegram.
Overnight into Saturday, Ukraine’s air force said, it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting Ukraine’s northern, central and western regions.
The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings damaged by an attack.
In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, said Gov. Vitalii Bunechko.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Bo the police K-9, who located child taken at knifepoint, wins Hero Dog Awards 2024
- Vance's 'childless cat ladies' comment sparks uproar from Swift fans: 'Armageddon is coming'
- Army Reserve officers disciplined for 'series of failures' before Maine mass killing
- Halle Berry Goes Topless in Risqué Photo With Kittens for Catwoman's 20th Anniversary
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- Hawaii contractors are still big contributors to political campaigns due to loopholes in state law
- Vermont opens flood recovery centers as it awaits decision on federal help
- President Joe Biden Speaks Out on Decision to Pass the Torch to Vice President Kamala Harris
- Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
- Tiger Woods' son, Charlie, misses cut at U.S. Junior Amateur
Ranking
- Japan to resume V-22 flights after inquiry finds pilot error caused accident
- National Tequila Day: What's happening with the spirit and where to get specials
- Families of victims in Maine mass shooting say they want a broader investigation into killings
- NASA releases eye-popping, never-before-seen images of nebulae, galaxies in space
- Nevada trial set for ‘Dances with Wolves’ actor in newly-revived sex abuse case
- 3 North Carolina tree workers shot and suspect injured during arrest by deputies, officials say
- Man shot and killed after grabbing for officer’s gun during struggle in suburban Denver, police say
- The Daily Money: What is $1,000 a month worth?
Recommendation
-
Burger King's 'Million Dollar Whopper' finalists: How to try and vote on your favorite
-
Giants on 'Hard Knocks': Inside Joe Schoen's process for first round of 2024 NFL Draft
-
A Guide to Clint Eastwood’s Sprawling Family
-
Bachelor Nation's Jed Wyatt Marries Ellen Decker in Tennessee Wedding Ceremony
-
Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
-
A retirement surge is here. These industries will be hit hardest.
-
Hugh Jackman claws his way back to superhero glory in 'Deadpool & Wolverine': Review
-
Oilers name Stan Bowman GM. He was recently reinstated after Blackhawks scandal.