Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suggested his country had lost control of the eastern city of Bakhmut after months of fierce fighting, but described it as a Pyrrhic victory for Russia.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suggested his country had lost control of the eastern city of Bakhmut after months of fierce fighting, but described it as a Pyrrhic victory for Russia.
When a reporter asked during a meeting with President Joe Biden if Bakhmut was still in Ukrainian hands, Zelenskiy said: “I think no.”
“But for today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing,” the Ukrainian leader said Sunday in Hiroshima, Japan, at the Group of Seven leaders summit, referring to the devastation the fighting has caused.
The only thing left, he said, is “a lot of dead Russians.” Zelenskiy’s spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov later said journalists misunderstood the president and denied that Russians seized Bakhmut.
Earlier: Ukraine Recap: Russia Claims Wagner Forces Seized Bakhmut
Russia claimed overnight that the Wagner mercenary group had taken Bakhmut, with the Defense Ministry saying in a statement that the forces “completed the liberation of the city.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malayr signaled that while the Russians may control the city proper, the battle may not be over. She said Russian forces failed to surround the city and lost part of the high ground they had controlled on the outskirts. Ukrainian troops also maintain control over some industrial facilities.
“The advance of our troops in the suburbs along the flanks, which is still ongoing, makes it very difficult for the enemy to stay in Bakhmut,” she said in on Telegram. “Our troops have partially encircled the city, which gives us the opportunity to destroy the enemy. ”
Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin also said in a video posted Saturday to his Telegram channel that his forces would withdraw from Bakhmut on May 25 “for rest and retraining” and hand over operations to the Russian military. “We completely took the whole city, from house to house,” he said in the video.
While the Bakhmut news cast a shadow over Zelenskiy’s unscheduled appearance this weekend in Hiroshima, he did receive some good news as the US and other allies sought to shore up Ukraine in anticipation of a major counteroffensive.
Earlier: Biden Opens Way to Give Ukraine F-16s Under Allied Pressure
The US president paved the way for F-16 fighter jets to be sent to Ukraine by allowing Ukrainian pilots to train on the aircraft, a move that Washington previously resisted but was urged by European allies. Biden also announced more military aid including ammunition, artillery and armored vehicles. The package amounts to $375 million, according to the Defense Department.
G-7 nations also widened existing export bans to Russia, with the US placing dozens more individuals and companies on its entities list in an effort to stop Moscow from getting key inputs for its war machine.
–With assistance from Áine Quinn and Olesia Safronova.
(Updates with comments from Ukraine’s deputy defenses minister in sixth-seventh paragraphs)
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