TOP HEADLINES

· Ukraine has called on its allies to increase the speed of their weapons deliveries as NATO defense ministers met for a second day on Wednesday, with the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg urging Western countries to boost military supplies to Kyiv.

· German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said supplying Ukraine with fighter jets would be discussed at the NATO meeting but that it was not a focus at the moment, with his British counterpart Ben Wallace expressing similar sentiments.

· Russia's defense ministry said Ukrainian soldiers had retreated from positions in the Luhansk region, claiming its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defenses on the eastern front. READ MORE BELOW

· President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office countered that Ukrainian forces had repelled some Russian attacks in the eastern region of Luhansk but admitted the situation there remained difficult. 

· The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Ukrainian units had fought off attacks in the areas of more than 20 settlements, including in the focal point of fighting in Donetsk region, Bakhmut.

· Britain's defense ministry said the Russian private military Wagner group had made further small gains around the northern outskirts of Bakhmut in the last three days.

· Zelenskyy said Moscow was hoping to achieve as many military gains as possible with its latest push before Ukraine's war effort was bolstered by Western arms deliveries.

· U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he expected Ukraine to launch its own offensive in spring, adding that Kyiv's allies were working to bolster the assault. 

· Representatives of the 27 European Union countries are meeting in Brussels to discuss new sanctions against Russia, which the head of the bloc's executive said could cost 11 billion euros ($11.8 bln) in lost trade.

· The U.S. military is weighing whether to send Kyiv thousands of seized weapons and more than a million rounds of ammunition once bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, according to the Wall Street Journal.

· Members of Russia's parliament will meet next week to focus on adopting laws on the integration of four Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation.

· Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has chosen three new deputies after a corruption scandal saw several of his staff removed from their positions. 

IN DETAIL

Russia makes gains in Ukraine's east

Moscow said on Wednesday that its troops had broken through two fortified lines of Ukrainian defenses on the eastern front, as Kyiv described the situation there as difficult.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian fighters had retreated in the Luhansk region, but did not provide further details. 

"During the offensive... the Ukrainian troops randomly retreated to a distance of up to 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the previously occupied lines," the ministry reported on the Telegram messaging app.

"Even the more fortified second line of defense of the enemy could not hold the breakthrough of the Russian military."

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office said Ukrainian forces had beaten back some Russian attacks in Luhansk but added: "The situation in the region remains difficult."

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Moscow has increased its assaults across southern and eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, its main target being the Donetsk town of Bakhmut, amid anticipation of a major new offensive.

Zelenskyy on Tuesday said Russia was rushing to achieve as many gains as possible before Ukraine and its allies gathered strength.

"That is why speed is of the essence," he said as NATO defense chiefs met in Brussels for talks. "Speed in everything – adopting decisions, carrying out decisions, shipping supplies, training. Speed saves people's lives."

Bakhmut's capture would provide a launch pad for Russia to advance on two bigger cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk, the complete capture of which is one of Moscow's primary war goals. 

"The battles are literally for every foot of Ukrainian land," Zelenskyy said, describing the conditions on the eastern frontline in his evening address on Tuesday.

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