Ukraine live briefing: Bakhmut is ‘only in our hearts,’ Zelensky says at G-7, after Russia claims control
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Speaking ahead of a bilateral meeting with President Biden at the Group of Seven summit in Japan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to suggest that Ukraine was no longer in control of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut and that there was nothing left there.
“For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,” Zelensky told reporters, when asked whether Bakhmut was still in Ukraine’s hands, after the Russians said they had taken control.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe visits front line in Ukraine: Terry McAuliffe’s seven-day trip to Ukraine this month, including visits to the front line, was highly unusual and what critics might term a risky foray into war tourism, Siobhán O’Grady reports. The 66-year-old former Democratic National Committee chairman called it a personal “fact-finding mission,” traveling nearly 1,900 miles by road.
His goal, he said, was to raise awareness in the United States about the devastating toll of the war, and to expand aid and support for Ukraine. “You’ve got all these countries running away from democracy,” he said. “Here we’ve got a country that is embracing it.”
“We need to win this,” McAuliffe added. “No question about it.”
Masih reported from Seoul.
