Russia Increases Shelling, Air Strikes in Bakhmut

A Ukrainian soldier walks along a street in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (AP)
A Ukrainian soldier walks along a street in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (AP)
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Russia Increases Shelling, Air Strikes in Bakhmut

A Ukrainian soldier walks along a street in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (AP)
A Ukrainian soldier walks along a street in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (AP)

Russian forces are stepping up their use of heavy artillery and air strikes in the devastated eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces said on Tuesday.

Fighting in and around Bakhmut has for months been the epicenter of the war in Ukraine, Reuters said.

"Currently, the enemy is increasing the activity of heavy artillery and the number of air strikes, turning the city into ruins," General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement.

He said Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, remained committed to taking Bakhmut "at any cost" but was suffering significant losses in the battle for the city.

Reuters could not confirm the battlefield situation. Russia says Ukrainian forces have also suffered heavy losses in Bakhmut.

The city, which had a pre-war population of about 70,000, has been Russia's main target in a winter offensive that has yielded scant gains despite infantry ground combat of an intensity unseen in Europe since World War Two.

Bakhmut's capture could provide a stepping stone for Russia to advance on two bigger cities it has long coveted in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine: Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

The head of the Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded Russia's attempt to take Bakhmut, said this month that its fighters controlled more than 80% of the city.

Ukraine denied this, saying it still controlled considerably more than 20% of the city. The Ukrainian military is widely expected to mount a counteroffensive in coming weeks or months aimed at recapturing Russian-held territory.



France Says it Does Not Understand Why Trump Blames Ukraine for War

French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
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France Says it Does Not Understand Why Trump Blames Ukraine for War

French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

France does not understand why US President Donald Trump has suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was to blame for Russia's invasion of his country and the resulting war, a French government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"We don't understand the logic very well," spokesperson Sophie Primas told reporters, describing "the diverse, varied and often incomprehensible comments by President Trump".

She said Trump had made a number of comments on Ukraine over the past few days without consulting his European allies.

Trump, in comments to reporters on Tuesday, said: "You've been there for three years," referring to concerns that Ukraine had been excluded from talks between Russia and the United States. "You should've never started it. You could have made a deal."

Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two began in 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to have an informal meeting on Ukraine with some European leaders and NATO ally Canada at 4 p.m. (1500 GMT), following a similar meeting with Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, the EU, Denmark and the Netherlands on Monday.

Ahead of Wednesday's talks, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that, while there was not complete agreement in the European Union on how to move forward, countries had nevertheless managed to accomplish a lot within the EU framework. He said it was important for backers of Ukraine to do everything possible to put Kyiv in a strong position.

Sounding a note of caution, he added:

"Everyone seems to believe that Russia wants to negotiate peace. I don't feel sure at all on that point. So we need to keep a cool head and continue to support Ukraine."