Ukrainian forces continue to advance in Bakhmut despite Russian denial, German poll shows desire for peace talks

12.05.2023

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian troops successfully advanced another two kilometers in Bakhmut. The Russian side denied this, claiming that the direction of the front line has not undergone any substantial changes.

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said on Friday that the Ukrainian army’s offensive on the Bakhmut front line has made significant progress. The fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian armies around Bakhmut has lasted for several months. Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar said in a statement posted on social media: “This week, our army did not lose a single position in Bakhmut, while the enemy suffered huge losses. The troops advanced two kilometers near Bakhmut.”Earlier, another senior official of the Ukrainian army said that under the powerful offensive launched by the Ukrainian army, the Russian army has begun to retreat from parts of Bakhmut.

However, the Russian side stated that the Ukrainian army had not made any progress in Bakhmut, and said that the so-called Russian army suffered losses in Bakhmut was “completely inconsistent with the facts.”

Bachmut had a population of about 70,000 before the war. In the past few months, the Russian army launched a fierce offensive on the city and controlled about 80% of the city’s area.

Poll: Majority of Germans want Russia-Ukraine talks to end war

A majority of Germans want Ukraine to negotiate with Russia to end the 15-month-old war Russia started, a new poll shows. In the questionnaire survey initiated by YouGov, a polling agency authorized by Deutsche Presse Presse, when asked “Do you think Ukraine should start negotiations with Russia now to end the war?”, 55% of the respondents believed that Ukraine should start negotiations with Russia, And 28% of the respondents think that there should be no negotiations with Russia.

Fifty-four percent of respondents also said Ukraine should not be accepted into NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to attend the NATO summit in Lithuania in July this year, where he hopes to mobilize world leaders to accept Ukraine into NATO.

German, U.S. finance ministers discuss countermeasures to evade sanctions

German Finance Minister Lindner and U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen held bilateral talks during the G7 finance ministers meeting. Both politicians emphasized the necessity of cooperation between Germany and the United States in combating Moscow’s evasion of Western sanctions against Russia. “Secretary Yellen appreciated Germany’s efforts to coordinate sanctions against Russia and discussed the importance of joint efforts to combat Russian sanctions evasion,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

The United States and its allies have provided Ukraine with substantial economic, military, and humanitarian aid, while also using sanctions and export controls to force Russia to pay a financial price for its aggression.

Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine

Beijing said it would send envoys to Ukraine, Russia and other European countries to discuss a “political solution” to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference: Chinese special envoy Li Hui will leave on May 15,Visit Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russiato discuss a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.

China claims that its neutrality gives it the ability to play a mediating role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, Western countries generally believe that the wording of China’s previous 12-point peace proposal was too vague, and did not provide a specific plan to end the war, and never condemned Russia’s aggression.

(DPA, Reuters, AFP)

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