Russian defence minister inspects front, US puts up new Ukraine aid
MOSCOW, March 4, (AFP) Russia's defence minister has inspected the frontline in east Ukraine, after the United States offered more support to Kyiv, whose forces are struggling in eastern Bakhmut.
Sergei Shoigu “inspected a command post on the front” in the direction of the southern Donetsk region, the defence ministry said, without specifying exactly where or when.
It put out a rare video of Shoigu travelling in a helicopter and talking to a soldier in front of damaged buildings. The visit came with fighting ongoing around Bakhmut, in the longest battle of the invasion that has revealed rivalries between the conventional army and the Wagner paramilitary group.
Wagner chef Yevgeny Prigozhin said Friday his fighters had “practically encircled” Bakhmut, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting of the conflict.
Well-versed in social media, Prigozhin has for weeks been publicising the advances of his men towards the eastern city, whose symbolic importance outstrips any military significance. Prigozhin regularly posts videos of himself alongside mercenaries, on the ground or even in a fighter jet, in contrast with Russian generals criticised for shirking the frontline.
In the latest video Friday, Prigozhin directly called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to abandon Bakhmut, which Russia is determined to seize as part of the wider aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region.
Zelensky has pledged to defend “fortress Bakhmut” for as long as possible, and called on allies to whip up their support to help his men do so.
On Saturday the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola visited Ukraine, where she called for the country to be allowed to begin its EU membership negotiations this year.
US President Joe Biden on Friday hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his first visit since the offensive, in a display of partnership after friction over supplying tanks to Ukraine. Ahead of the meeting, the Kremlin warned weapon deliveries would only “prolong the conflict and have sad consequences for the Ukrainian people”.
The United States responded to Moscow's warning against further arming Ukraine by offering another $400 million in security assistance.