On Wednesday, European Union defense ministers were gathering to review a plan to supply Ukraine with 1 billion euros in munitions as the allies of Kyiv are being urged to increase their support of the country’s war efforts.

At an upcoming gathering in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, the topic of Ukraine’s severe scarcity of ammunition will be discussed by European leaders to supply the numerous 155-millimeter howitzer shells that Ukraine’s forces are using every day in their battle against the ongoing Russian offensive.

Battles are being fought around Bakhmut, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that if it were to be captured by Moscow, they would have an “open road” to progress further into Ukraine.

Zelenskyy informed CNN in an interview the following Wednesday that, were Bakhmut to fall, the Russians would have a wide-open path to further advance into Ukraine and towns in Donetsk’s region, such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

On Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, made clear Europe’s intention to repel any Russian aggression while visiting Canada.

During her speech to Canada’s parliament, von der Leyen expressed her belief that no country should ever accept an aggressive military power that attempts to expand its empire by rolling tanks across an international border.

The New York Times published a report on Tuesday claiming that US intelligence had revealed a “pro-Ukrainian group” as responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream gas pipelines from last year, which could pose complex issues for allies.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a high-ranking Ukrainian government official, refuted the report, claiming that Ukraine had no involvement in the accident in the Baltic Sea.

The control for Bakhmut continues

On Tuesday, the Russian military declared their intention to seize Bakhmut, a town with a population of 80,000 before the beginning of the war.

The prolonged and bloody battle in the vicinity of the town has been the most severe of the Russian invasion that has lasted over a year and caused extensive damage in Ukraine and forced millions of people to flee.

Ukraine asserted that they had determined that a soldier, who had been missing from the region, had been killed in a video that caused a strong reaction on social media. At the same time, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was traveling to Kyiv for negotiations.

In the video, it appears that a Ukrainian soldier who had been taken prisoner was standing in a shallow trench, smoking a cigarette, and then, after uttering the phrase “Glory to Ukraine,” was shot.

It appears that Russia is determined to take control of the city under any circumstances.

At a televised gathering on Tuesday, Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu declared that seizing control of Bakhmut will enable further offensive maneuvers to penetrate the defensive lines of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, the Russian mercenary group spearheading the attack on Bakhmut, made a jab at Shoigu, claiming he had “not seen him” on the battleground. This statement reflects the rift between Prigozhin and Russia’s military leadership.

‘Be steadfast’

In an interview with CNN, Zelenskyy expressed his determination that the military would remain in Bakhmut.

At the meeting with the chief of staff and the military commanders held yesterday, virtually and in person, the president declared that they must remain resolute in Bakhmut.

He noted that tending to our servicemen and women is a priority and that we should take whatever steps are needed to obtain weapons and supplies for the upcoming counteroffensive.

Prigozhin claimed that roughly 12,000 and 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers were still standing their ground in the city.

He asserted that, while the fighting is intense day and night, the Ukrainian troops refuse to retreat.

This week, Poland, an enduring ally of Ukraine, will ship ten Leopard tanks, providing a much-needed lift to the latter’s spirits on Tuesday.

Both sides have reported that the battle at Bakhmut involved a considerable loss of troops, though neither has publicly specified the exact number.