Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed efforts to bolster support as world leaders gathered in Poland to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, while on the battlefield Russian forces pressed their assault on Pokrovsk, their major target over recent months.
“I had a meeting with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, to discuss further support for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on X from Poland on January 27.
“We focused in particular on security cooperation and possible formats for security guarantees for Ukraine and all of Europe. We are counting on France's support in the negotiation process for EU accession.”
SEE ALSO: Zelenskyy Warns Same Evil 'Still Exists' Today As Leaders Mark Auschwitz AnniversaryZelenskyy in recent remarks has expressed more openness toward a compromise settlement in the war with Russia, which began in 2014 with the Kremlin’s seizure and illegal annexation of Crimea and intensified following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of February 2022.
But he has stressed that Kyiv could only agree to a deal that would provide extensive security guarantees to Ukraine, including possible European peacekeeping troops backed by U.S. involvement and leadership.
Zelenskyy also met with European Council President Antonio Costa, who wrote on X that he assured the Ukrainian leader of "the EU's steadfast support.”
“I encouraged him to continue working on Ukraine's EU accession. Ukraine's progress so far has been remarkable. The EU will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes,” Costa added.
The EU on January 27 renewed its wide-ranging series of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“Europe delivers: EU Foreign Ministers just agreed to extend again the sanctions on Russia,” EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas wrote on X.
Zelenskyy arrived in Poland to mark the Auschwitz event after placing a candle at the Babyn Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv, where more than 30,000 Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis over two days in 1941.
"It was the Nazis' deliberate attempt to erase an entire nation—to kill all its people and destroy everything that reminded the world of the Jewish nation. Six million victims," he wrote in a post on X.
On the battlefield, the Ukrainian General Staff late on January 27 said Russian troops had carried out at least 77 assaults in the Pokrovsk region during the day, claiming that 65 had been repulsed and that 12 were still ongoing.
SEE ALSO: What Would The Russian Capture Of Pokrovsk Mean For The Ukraine War?Pokrovsk has been the target of a long, brutal offensive by Russian forces as they attempt to capture the vital logistics hub in Ukraine's Donetsk region.
Should Russian forces seize Pokrovsk, analysts say they will likely pause to consolidate their position before pushing north toward the city of Kramatorsk to seize the next major road network in Donetsk.
Reports of Russian air strikes also surfaced far away from the front lines. Svitlana Onyshchuk, governor of Ukraine's southwestern Ivano-Frankivsk region near the Romanian border, said drones had hit infrastructure sites over the past two days, causing damage but with no immediate reports of casualties.
Separately, the mayor of Kharkiv – Ukraine’s second-largest city – said a “large-scale fire” broke out after a Russian strike on a private business.
"Emergency services are on site. There is no information about potential casualties at this time," Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on social media.,
Zelenskyy on January 26 announced that he had replaced Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov as military commander in the east following continued gains by Russian forces in the region. Hnatov was reassigned to a training and communications role.
Major General Mykhailo Drapatiy, overall commander of ground forces, will now be responsible for the region and will also keep his previous duties.
Zelenskyy in June 2024 appointed Hnatov to replace Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol following criticism that, under his leadership, Ukrainian forces suffered a large number of casualties and lost territory to Russian troops.