Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would fight to hold on to the eastern “fortress” city of Bakhmut and urged the West to supply long-range weapons to help Kyiv push Russian forces out of the Donbas region.
Speaking at a news conference with EU officials following a summit in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president said: “Nobody will give away Bakhmut. We will fight for as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress.
“Ukraine would be able to hold Bakhmut and liberate occupied Donbas if it received long-range weapons.”
The city of Bakhmut has become the focal point of Ukrainian resistance to Russia’s invasion and of Moscow’s drive to regain battlefield momentum.
It comes as the number of Russian troops who have either died or were left wounded in the continuing war is nearing 200,000, according to Western officials.
Senior US officials and Western diplomats said Russian fatalities have climbed sharply above the 100,000 figure given in November last year and may since have close to doubled, The New York Times reported.
