Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has postponed all upcoming international trips, his press secretary said on Wednesday, as Ukrainian troops withdraw from parts of the Kharkiv region ahead of an unrelenting Russian ground assault.
Ukraine has pulled back troops near several villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and pounding settlements along the border since last week, Kyiv announced.
Moscow launched a surprise major ground assault on the region last week as it seeks to advance across the battlefield with Kyiv struggling for arms and manpower.
"In some areas, around Lukyantsi and Vovchansk, in response to enemy fire and assaults from ground troops, and to save the lives of our servicemen and avoid losses, our units manoeuvred and moved to more advantageous positions," the Ukrainian military announced overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Throughout the two-year war, both sides have typically used the language of moving to more "advantageous positions" to signify retreats.
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The two villages – around 30 kilometres (18 miles) apart – are close to the border with Russia and have been targeted in the fresh offensive.
Ukraine has evacuated around 8,000 people from its northeastern Kharkiv region since Russia launched a major ground assault on the area last week, the country's emergency services said Wednesday.
"Around 8,000 people have already been evacuated ... Most of them are women, elderly people, people with reduced mobility, and people with disabilities and children," the state emergency services agency said in a post on Telegram.
Ukraine's General Staff said the situation "remains difficult" but insisted that its forces were "not allowing the Russian occupiers to gain a foothold".
Kyiv has rushed reinforcements to the area to prevent Russia from punching through.
Blinken announces $2 billion in Ukraine military aid in Kyiv
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced the release of a further $2 billion in military aid for Ukrainian forces holding back Russian onslaughts across the front line.
Blinken made the announcement at a press conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The $2 billion in military aid tranche is part of a $61 billion package that Washington approved several weeks ago following months of delays in Congress.
Blinken said the purpose of the aid was "to provide weapons today" as well as invest in Ukrainian infrastructure and help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries.
Kuleba meanwhile repeated that Ukraine "urgently" needs seven more air defence systems and said the northeastern region of Kharkiv, which came under Russian attack last week, needs two systems.
He also said Ukraine needed faster deliveries of weapons promised by allied countries.
Speaking at the Kyiv press conference, Blinken said Ukraine can decide for itself whether to strike Russian territory with US weapons, but stressed that Washington has not encouraged such attacks.
"We have not encouraged or enabled strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine has to make decisions for itself about how it's going to conduct this war," Blinken said.
Emergency electricity shutdowns
Some military analysts say Moscow may be trying to force Ukraine to divert troops from other areas of the front line, such as around the strategic town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region, where Russia has also been advancing.
"Donetsk and Kharkiv regions are where it is most difficult now," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address on Tuesday evening.
Kyiv on Wednesday morning cancelled some emergency power blackouts that it had introduced to deal with a drop in temperatures that had put pressure on its battered energy system.
State power operator Ukrenergo had announced a series of overnight and early morning power cuts to deal with "the cold weather amid the consequences of Russian shelling" that has destroyed swathes of Ukraine's generating facilities.
"Emergency shutdowns in Kyiv, the Kyiv region, the Odesa region, the Donetsk region and the Dnipropetrovsk region were lifted," DTEK, the country's largest private energy operator said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
