Amid battle of Bakhmut, Commander of Ukraine’s Army meets with top NATO generals

On 7 March 2023, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi met with Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Army General Cristopher Cavoli. Apart from General Cavoli, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief met with the head of the British Armed Forces and Chief of the Defence Staff of the UK Admiral Sir Antony Radakin, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces General Rajmund Andrzejczak, and US Army Lieutenant General and Commander of Security Assistance Group–Ukraine Antonio Aguto.

General Zaluzhnyi informed his colleagues about the situation on the battlefield, in particular regarding the developments in and around Bakhmut (Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine), which remains the hottest spot on the map of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

"The supply of military aid, including arms and ammunition, was thoroughly discussed. Strengthening anti-aircraft defense and providing long-range weapons remain extremely important," General Zaluzhnyi noted. "We continued the dialogue regarding the training of the Ukrainian military and agreed to continue working together in these and other important areas. Ukraine needs the victory," Zaluzhnyi added.

Heavy fighting in and around Bakhmut continues. Over the weekend, Ukrainian forces likely stabilized their defensive perimeter following previous Russian advances into the north of the town, according to British Intel.

Ukraine stabilized northern defensive perimeter of Bakhmut – British intelligence

On 6 March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a scheduled meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief with army commanders who reported on the situation on the main frontline directions.

Ukraine’s top generals in favor of continuing Bakhmut defense – President’s Office

According to the statement on the meeting published by President’s Office, both the army’s top general, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and the ground forces commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, suggested that Ukrainian forces would continue the defense of Bakhmut, the frontline city in Donetsk Oblast, which has been under the looming threat of encirclement by Russian forces. Russian forces fail to capture the city since August 2022. Related:

• Ukraine's ground forces commander visited Bakhmut for the third time in two weeks, said battles reached the highest level of tension
• Ukraine is running low on ammo, asks EU for 250,000 artillery shells a month
• Russia lost five times more soldiers under Bakhmut than Ukraine, NATO estimates
• Kyiv privately seeks US submunitions from cluster bombs to be dropped from drones - Reuters
• Russia lost around 30K troops during attacks on Bakhmut
• Never again 2.0: Ukrainian intellectuals present manifesto to put an end to Russia's wars