The situation in the city of Bakhmut, on the eastern front line, is becoming “more and more tough”, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared.
For more over six months, Russian forces have been attempting to capture the city.
Mr. Zelensky said, “The enemy is continually destroying everything that may be utilized to defend our positions.
The Ukrainian president made her comments as US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who was in Kyiv on Monday, advised China against arming Russia.
A portion of the Donetsk area of Ukraine, which is under the authority of Russia and its proxies, has seen some of the bloodiest combat since Russia entered the country just over a year ago.
Russian troops have recently stepped up their attempts to take the industrial city, and they are making progress. Su-25 fighter jets were captured on camera by the Russian state news agency, RIA, roaring above Bakhmut.
Notwithstanding the Russian successes, a Reuters news agency reporter who visited the region on Monday reported that there was no sign that the Ukrainian soldiers were getting ready to retreat and that reinforcements were on the way.
“Practically all highways” into the city were “under [Russian] fire control,” according to Denis Pushilin, the separatist head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.
Moreover, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, described the area around Bakhmut as “very tense”.
Despite suffering substantial losses, the enemy poured in Wagner’s best assault forces, which are attempting to breach our soldiers’ defenses and encircle the city, according to Gen. Syrskyi.
President Zelensky discussed the situation in his nightly speech on Monday, saying that establishing a footing in Bakhmut and assuring its defense were being seriously jeopardized by Russia’s resumption of its offensive.
“Thankful to each and every person who is heroically holding,” he said, referring to the area.
In order to defend “the entire terrain of our country” against “Russian terror,” President Zelensky also renewed his appeal for the dispatch of modern combat aircraft.
Janet Yellen announced the most recent transfer of $1.25 billion (£1 billion) in economic help to Ukraine during her unexpected trip to Kyiv on Monday.
During her visit to Kyiv last week, Ms. Yellen reaffirmed US President Joe Biden’s statement that Washington would support Ukraine for as long as it took to win the war.
Speaking to CNN, Ms. Yellen stated that although the severe sanctions put in place against Russia by Western nations had not yet caused its economy to collapse, she anticipated that it would do so in the future.
She also warned that Moscow’s ability to resupply military equipment destroyed in attacks on Ukraine was being “gradually jeopardised“, adding that any attempt from China to supply such weaponry to Russia would lead to “severe” consequences.
“We have been quite clear that we would not tolerate systematic violations of the sanctions that we have imposed that are intended to deny Russia access to military hardware to carry out this war,” she added.
And we have made it very clear to Chinese companies and financial institutions that there would be serious repercussions for breaking those sanctions, as well as to the Chinese government.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated last week that China was thinking about giving Russia weapons and ammunition. Beijing vehemently refuted the assertion.
Many believed that last week’s meeting in Moscow between China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a sign of China’s close connections to Russia.
Moreover, Mr. Putin’s steadfast supporter, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, will start a three-day visit to China on Tuesday. He is anticipated to meet with President Xi Jinping during the trip.
Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Kremlin, stated that Russia was ready to resume talks with Kiev. Yet, he asserted that Russia’s illegitimate annexation of four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—must be recognized by Ukraine and its Western allies.
“There are some facts that have already influenced us inside. I refer to the uncharted areas. There is a Russian Federation constitution, and it cannot be disregarded. These are crucial facts, and Russia will never be able to compromise on them “At a press conference in Moscow, Mr. Peskov added.
Ukraine has already said it will not recognize Russian authority in the areas.
When Moscow authorities accused Ukraine of carrying out drone assaults on civilian targets in Russia overnight, Mr. Peskov made his remarks. Krasnodar and Adygea, two southern Russian areas, were the targets of the Ukrainian drone attacks, according to the Russian defense ministry.
