Amid expectations that Kiev would launch a counterattack against the Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the formation of new military units, while the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the military operation would continue until "the government in Ukraine is uprooted and disarmed," as it said.
Ukraine admitted that the Russian forces had made some progress in the fierce battle to control the city of Bakhmut, at a time when Spain and Latvia announced their intention to send more weapons to Kiev, in conjunction with a meeting of Western countries in Germany to discuss providing more support to it.
Zelensky said in his daily video address yesterday evening (Friday): We are already preparing new battalions and units for deployment on the front, stressing that his meetings with the General Staff were focused on providing all means to liberate Ukraine. He stressed that "the front line is the highest priority."
Western allies met, (Friday), at the US air base Ramstein in Germany to discuss the possibility of providing Ukraine with more aid. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the allies are committed to supporting Ukraine whatever it takes, and reject what he described as Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to create spheres of influence by force of arms.
Sources told Reuters that six Leopard 2 tanks left Spain on a ship yesterday, en route to Ukraine. The Latvian Ministry of Defense announced that it would deliver all the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles still in the hands of the Latvian armed forces to Kiev.
Yesterday, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that the US decision to send 31 M1 Abrams combat tanks to Ukraine will make a difference in the ongoing war with Russia, but it is not a magic solution. "I am not neutral, but I think the M1 tank is the best tank in the world," Milley added. He added, "It will make a difference when it is delivered." At a time when the United States announced that the Abrams tanks, which will be used to train Ukrainian forces, will arrive in Germany in the coming weeks.
The Ukrainian government acknowledged that the Russian forces had made some progress in the fierce battle to control the city of Bakhmut, stressing that the situation was under control. And Hana Malyar, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, wrote on the Telegram application: The situation is tense, but it is under control, referring to Bakhmut, adding that decisions are taken according to military considerations.
The Russian Defense Ministry had said that its forces were now fighting in the western parts of Bakhmut, which is the last part of the city controlled by Ukrainian forces.
Okaz (Jeddah) @okaz_online
