Russia Strengthens Defenses in Occupied Ukraine as Zelensky Visits Poland

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting Poland Wednesday as Kyiv continues to urge Western allies for military and financial support as it gears up for a counteroffensive to try to oust Russian forces occupying swaths of its territory.

Mr. Zelensky’s visit to Polish capital Warsaw is the first foreign trip by the Ukrainian leader announced in advance by Kyiv, after recent trips to the U.S. and several European capitals that were kept secret for security considerations. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda awarded Mr. Zelensky the Order of the White Eagle, the country’s highest civilian award, while the Ukrainian leader, dressed in his familiar military attire, encouraged Polish businesses to invest in the reconstruction of Ukrainian’s devastated infrastructure.