INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a counteroffensive against Russian forces was underway, while declining to give specifics
on his troops' operations."Counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine: at which stage I will not talk in detail,"
forces conducted counteroffensive operations in at least four frontline areas, according to the Washington-based think tank the Institute
for the Study of War (ISW)."Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces have tactical advantages in conducting assaults at night due to
Western-provided equipment with superior night optics systems," ISW said.To shore up that stockpile, Zelensky secured fresh pledges of
military aid while meeting with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the weekend.'Held to account'Trudeau, 51, and Zelensky,
45, hugged and used each other's first names as the Canadian leader made his second unannounced visit to Kyiv since full-scale war broke
out in February last year.Canada, which hosts a large Ukrainian diaspora, has been one of Kyiv's key allies since the Russian invasion.It
has provided Ukraine with significant military aid, trained more than 36,000 soldiers and adopted sanctions against Moscow.On Saturday, the
Canadian leader said he would provide Can$500 million (US$375 million) in fresh military assistance to Kyiv, and pledged Canada would be
part of the multinational effort to train Ukraine's fighter pilots.Trudeau also urged international organizations to come to the aid of
those in Russian-occupied territories after flooding from the breached Kakhovka dam forced thousands to flee their homes and sparked fears
questions and intelligence being analyzed on what exactly happened to have this dam collapse."But there is no doubt in my mind that
displaying photos of soldiers killed in combat.Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Polishchuk handed Trudeau a box that he said held
shrapnel from a rocket that fell on the Black Sea port city of Odesa.He said the gift was intended to remind Trudeau of Ukraine's
shot-down Russian drones in the Odesa region.French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi to "immediately
telephone call underlined the serious "security and humanitarian consequences" of Iran's drone deliveries "and urged Tehran to immediately
"terrorize" Ukrainians, a charge denied by Tehran.
