The Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces also said on Sunday that 'fighting for the city of Bakhmut continues.' A presidential press secretary for Zelensky, Sergii Nykyforov, had posted on social media on Sunday that the comments made by the Ukrainian leader during the briefing with Biden were a denial of Russia's claims. Zelensky later told a media briefing that Bakhmut 'is not occupied by Russia,' according to the BBC. President Joe Biden, according to a White House readout. 'For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts,' the Ukrainian leader said during a joint press conference with U.S. Biden OKs F-16s for Zelensky, then flies home to face debt ceiling crisis.

Key moments from Zelensky's G7 speeches.Russia loses 29 artillery systems, 16 APVs in a day: Ukraine.Responding to a media question about Russia's statements on Bakhmut, Zelensky said Moscow had 'destroyed everything,' adding there 'are no buildings.' Some confusion arose over the fate of Bakhmut on Sunday after reporting of comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to suggest Bakhmut had fallen. Both Kyiv and Moscow are believed to have sustained heavy casualties in battles for the city. The city is not deemed tactically crucial by analysts, but months of high-profile and bitter fighting have kept it in the spotlight. The think tank had not seen geolocated footage supporting the Wagner statements, as of midday Eastern Time on Saturday, the ISW added.

Capturing these areas does not help Russian forces with offensive operations, the think tank added, nor offer 'any particularly strong position from which to defend against possible Ukrainian counterattacks.'

Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Imagesīut the remaining blocks of the eastern part of the city that Prigozhin said Wagner now controlled 'are not tactically or operationally significant,' the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Saturday. Russia said it had captured the fiercely contested city on Saturday and Sunday, a claim which has been rejected by Kyiv. A Ukrainian tank heads toward Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine on March 22, 2023.

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