KYIV — Former President George W. Bush met virtually on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Bush called “the Winston Churchill of our time.”
Bush said he was honored to spend a few minutes with Zelensky and that he thanked him for his leadership, his example, and his “commitment to liberty.”
Zelensky’s office said the Ukrainian president expressed gratitude toward the American people for their support during the Russian invasion. He said the conversation was important to him and called the 43rd president an example of a strong leader.
The United Nations Secretary-General says a third operation with the Red Cross has been launched to evacuate the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council about 500 civilians have been evacuated as part of two earlier operations. He said the civilians had been “living under relentless shelling and scarce availability of water, food and sanitation.”
He went on to say he hopes Moscow and Kyiv can continue to coordinate so that more civilians are able to have safe passage out of the region.
Russia is denying new attacks on Mariupol. But officials insist troops are trying to destroy the last pocket of resistance in the devastated city.
