Ukraine's Zelenskyy urges European unity amid Russia's continued attacks

The European Union must "unite the whole continent, all of Europe's democratic nations including your countries", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a summit in Dubrovnik with Balkans leaders.

"Even though there is much political tension we must ensure that our unity in Europe remains as stable as possible," said Zelenskyy.

"If Europe is not united today it won't be peaceful, so that integration processes that have begun must reach their result."

Heads of state, premiers and foreign ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye joined Zelenskyy and Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the talks.

While Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia are EU members, the other nations are on different stages on their paths towards joining the bloc.

The gathering in the Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik is the third "Ukraine-Southeast Europe" summit.

It takes place while Ukraine pushes for more military aid as it struggles to repel Russian advances.

But a key meeting with international allies planned for Saturday has been postponed. US President Joe Biden called off his planned visit to Europe as millions were warned to leave their homes in Florida because of Hurricane Milton.

Zelenskyy has stepped up his efforts to rally backing from allies amid doubts about future US support after the November presidential election.

Russian troops continue 'offensive operations'

Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that it had retaken two villages in its Kursk region that were captured by Ukraine in a surprise offensive.

The ministry said in a statement that Russian troops "continued offensive operations, during which they liberated the settlements of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky".

Novaya Sorochina is located close to the border with Ukraine, while Pokrovsky is deeper into Russian territory, which it described as a stronghold for Ukrainian troops.

In mid-September, the defence ministry said that Russian troops had retaken 12 villages in the Kursk region.

Soon after, a spokesman in Ukraine's military administration told AFP that Russia's counter-offensive to retake territory had been "stopped".

Ukraine has said its offensive is intended to create a buffer zone in the region to stop shelling of its border areas.

At the end of August, it claimed to control some 100 Russian settlements and almost 1,300 square kilometres (500 square miles) of territory.

The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said that on Wednesday, Russia had dropped 14 guided bombs on the Kursk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that the army's target of capturing the Donbass — which includes the east Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk — was a priority, and Russian forces have been advancing steadily towards the logistics hub of Pokrovsk.