12:25am: ‘Lot of speculation over whether Ukrainian troops are preparing to withdraw’ from Bakhmut
After seven months of battles on the outskirts of Bakhmut, Ukraine has denied rumours its forces are withdrawing from the eastern city, saying instead it is enforcing the area with elite units. A pro-Russian capture of the city would be a major advance in the fight for the Donbas region. FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports.
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11:50am: Kyiv says Russia pursuing ‘attempts to encircle’ Bakhmut, vows to defend ‘fortress Bakhmut’
Kyiv said Sunday it was holding off attacks from Russian troops still attempting to surround Bakhmut, a now-destroyed eastern Ukrainian city that Moscow has been trying to capture for months. Ukraine has vowed to defend “fortress Bakhmut” but it has faced Russian troops determined to take the city that has turned into a political prize as the battle drags on.
The Ukrainian general staff said “more than 130 enemy attacks” had been repelled over the past day including in Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
“The enemy continues its attempts to encircle the town of Bakhmut,” it said on Sunday morning. Sergiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukrainian forces, said on Saturday the situation was “difficult but under control” in the city he described as a “priority target for the enemy”.
10:28am: Turkey working to renew Black Sea grain deal, FM says
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday that Ankara is working hard to extend a U.N.-backed initiative that has enabled Ukraine to export grain from ports blockaded by Russia following its invasion.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. The agreement was extended in November and will expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.
“We are working hard for the smooth implementation and further extension of the Black Sea grain deal,” Cavusoglu said in a speech at the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries being held in Doha, Qatar.
2:51am: Ukrainian pilots in Arizona to fly military simulators, US official says
In a first, two Ukrainian pilots are in Arizona to fly flight simulators and be evaluated by the US military, an American defence official said Saturday, as Washington remains mute on whether it will send fighter jets or sophisticated remotely piloted drones to Kyiv.
The US and allies have been flooding Ukraine with weapons from Javelin missiles to HIMARS rocket launchers, but sophisticated jets and the largest armed drones have not been pledged to Ukraine by Western allies.
“This event allows us to better help Ukrainian pilots become more effective pilots and better advise them on how to develop their own capabilities,” the defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Arizona “familiarisation event” will facilitate dialogue between Ukrainian and US personnel and provide an opportunity to observe how the US Air Force operates, the defence official said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
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