Ukraine war: Zelensky says situation in Bakhmut worsening

The concern successful the metropolis of Bakhmut, connected the eastbound frontline, is becoming "more and much difficult", Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

Russian forces person been trying to instrumentality the metropolis for implicit six months.

"The force is perpetually destroying everything that tin beryllium utilized to support our positions", Mr Zelensky stated.

The Ukrainian leader's remarks came arsenic US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned China against arming Russia during a sojourn to Kyiv connected Monday.

Some of the fiercest warring to instrumentality spot since Russia invaded Ukraine conscionable implicit a twelvemonth agone has taken spot successful Bakhmut, successful Ukraine's Donetsk region, portion of which is nether the power of Russia and its separatist allies.

Recently efforts by Russian forces to seizure the concern metropolis person intensified, with its troops gaining ground.

The separatist person of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, said "practically each roads" into the metropolis were "under [Russian] occurrence control".

Speaking astir the concern successful his nightly address, President Zelensky said managing to summation a foothold successful Bakhmut and ensuring its defence were being heavy compromised by Russia's renewed onslaught.

He was "grateful to each and each idiosyncratic who is heroically holding" the area.

President Zelensky besides called erstwhile again for modern combat craft to beryllium sent truthful that "the full territory of our country" tin beryllium defended from "Russian terror".

On her astonishment sojourn to Kyiv connected Monday, Janet Yellen announced the latest transportation of $1.25bn (£1bn) successful economical and fund assistance to Ukraine.

Ms Yellen reiterated US President Joe Biden's connection - made during his ain sojourn to Kyiv past week - that Washington would basal with Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it took to triumph the war.

Speaking to CNN, Ms Yellen added that portion Russia's system had not yet buckled nether the immense sanctions imposed connected Russia by Western powers, she expected it to turn weaker implicit time.

She besides stated that Russia's quality to replenish subject instrumentality destroyed successful attacks connected Ukraine was being "gradually jeopardized", adding that immoderate determination from China to proviso specified weaponry to Russia would pb to "severe" consequences.

"We person been highly wide that we volition not tolerate systematic violations by immoderate state of the sanctions that we person enactment successful spot that are intended to deprive Russia of entree to subject instrumentality to wage this war," she said.

"And we person been precise wide with the Chinese authorities and person made wide to Chinese firms and fiscal institutions that the consequences of violating those sanctions would beryllium precise severe."

A gathering betwixt China's apical diplomat, Wang Yi, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin successful Moscow past week looked to galore to beryllium an denotation of China's adjacent ties with Russia.