As the Russia-Ukraine war grows intense, it is further said that Ukraine’s fight for the destroyed city of Bakhmut, has pinned down Russia’s best military forces in advance of a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Russian forces have captured the eastern part of Bakhmut and the outskirts to the north and south but failed to close supply lines and completely encircle Ukrainian troops holding out in the city.
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end of listUkraine’s fight for the destroyed city of Bakhmut because the battle has pinned down Russia’s best military forces in advance of a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive.Russian forces have captured the eastern part of Bakhmut and the outskirts to the north and south but failed to close supply lines and completely encircle Ukrainian troops holding out in the city.
Power and water have been restored to most of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv after Friday’s early morning barrage of Russian missiles and drones aimed at critical infrastructure. However, Power supplies were fully restored in the southern Odesa region after the attacks.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron said new support measures would bolster Ukraine’s forces and allow them to mount a successful counteroffensive against Russia. The leaders signed off on jointly training Ukrainian marines and supplying more weapons during a summit.
The European Union could soon top up the fund used for buying weapons for Ukraine by 3.5 billion euros. Under the plan drawn up by Europe’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, EU states would get financial incentives worth 1 billion euros to send more of their artillery rounds to Kyiv while another 1 billion euros would fund joint procurement.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv where she accompanied Zelenskyy and senior military officers to the funeral of one of Ukraine’s best-known fighters and commanders killed near Bakhmut.
Macron will meet Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban to discuss the war in Ukraine and other issues ahead of a European Council meeting. Orban has been an outspoken critic of Europe’s stance on the war, accusing it of waging an “indirect war” on Russia.
The United States has said there is no imminent military threat from Russia against Moldova but that Moscow may be trying to destabilise the country and have a pro-Russian government installed.
Canada has announced a ban on imports of Russian aluminium and steel products to deny Moscow revenues to fund its war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has rejected as “ridiculous” any suggestions of Ukrainian involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts and accused an unnamed Western media outlet of playing into Russian plans to slow assistance to Kyiv. “I find it very dangerous that some independent media, for whom I have always had great respect, are making such moves,” he said.
