KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 The sound of a large explosion reverberated around the Ukrainian port of Odesa as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greece's prime minister ended a tour of the war-ravaged southern city Wednesday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the delegations were getting into their vehicles when they heard the blast, which he called a 鈥渧ivid reminder鈥 that Odesa is gripped by the with Russia. It is one thing to hear about the war and 鈥渜uite another to experience war firsthand,鈥 Mitsotakis said.
Zelenskyy said the explosion caused an unknown number of dead and wounded. 鈥淵ou see who we鈥檙e dealing with, they don鈥檛 care where to hit," he told reporters.
Russian officials made no immediate comment.
Zelenskyy has cities and military units on the front line during the war, always in secrecy until after he has left. Foreign leaders have made numerous trips to Ukraine, and they occasionally have had to take refuge in shelters when air raid sirens sound.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned on X, formerly Twitter, what she called the 鈥渧ile attack鈥 during the Greek visit. She called it a 鈥渘ew attempt at terror鈥 by Russia.
Zelenskyy showed Mitsotakis around the destruction in Odesa, where in the most 12 people 鈥 including five children 鈥 were killed when debris from a Russian drone hit an apartment block on March 2.
Mitsotakis said Odesa held a special place in Greek history as the place where the Filiki Etairia organization was founded that fought for Greek independence from Ottoman rule in the 19th century.
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Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.
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