TOP HEADLINES

· Ukraine pledged to bolster its defenses in frontline Bakhmut, after reports that Kyiv was withdrawing from the city that has become a symbolic prize in the conflict. But Ukrainian forces fighting to retain control of the salt-mining town told AFP its capture by Russia was inevitable and that some units had already begun to pull back. READ MORE BELOW

· Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the seizure of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine would allow Russian forces to mount further offensive operations, Russian news agencies reported. Shoigu also said the West was increasing its arms deliveries to Ukraine, but vowed they would not change the course of events on the battlefield.

· Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said there was a "consensus" within the Ukraine army to continue defending the embattled city of Bakhmut. "There is a consensus among the military on the need to continue defending the city and the attrition of enemy forces, while building new lines and lines of defense in case the situation changes," Podolyak told AFP.

· Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he instructed the army to find forces to bolster the defense of Bakhmut. "I told the Chief of Staff to find the appropriate forces to help the guys in Bakhmut. There is no part of Ukraine about which one can say that it can be abandoned," Zelenskyy said in his evening address to the nation.

· The Kremlin said it did not recognize the price cap introduced by Western countries on its oil exports, after the United States said the cap was "working well." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We do not and will not recognise any cap. We are working so that this system does not harm our own interests."

· In a rare claim of responsibility for a cross-border attack, Ukraine's Kraken special forces unit said on Telegram that they destroyed a military observation tower in Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, in a drone attack.

· The Kremlin said the United States was driving the Ukraine conflict and welcomed China's growing diplomacy. Asked about comments by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang that an "invisible hand" was driving the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the hand belonged to the United States.

· Ukraine's foreign minister urged the International Criminal Court to probe footage circulating on social media that he said showed Russian forces killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war. "Horrific video of an unarmed Ukrainian POW executed by Russian forces merely for saying 'Glory to Ukraine.' Another (piece of) proof this war is genocidal," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on social media.

· Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Kyiv had fulfilled all the recommendations of the European Union as his country pushes to begin talks to join the bloc. "Ukraine has fulfilled all seven EU recommendations," he tweeted. "This demonstrates our determination to move on to the start of accession negotiations this year." 

· Ukraine has started online talks with partners on extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative aimed at ensuring Kyiv can keep shipping grain to global markets, a senior Ukrainian government source said. The source said Ukraine had not held discussions with Russia but that it was Kyiv's understanding that its partners were talking to Moscow.

· A Czech company producing inflatable weapon decoys, including Himars rocket launchers and Abrams tanks, said it had seen a spike in demand since the Russian offensive in Ukraine started last year. The synthetic silk decoys inflated with an electric or petrol blower are used to fool the enemy in the battlefield, making them target the air-filled decoys instead of real weaponry.

· Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk won her first WTA title with victory over Russia's Varvara Gracheva and dedicated it to her country and "all the people who are fighting and dying." The 20-year-old Kostyuk collapsed on the court sobbing after winning the final of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas 6-3, 7-5.

IN DETAIL

Kyiv to boost defenses in Bakhmut

Ukraine pledged to bolster its defenses in frontline Bakhmut, after reports that Kyiv was withdrawing from the city that has become a symbolic prize in the war.

But Ukrainian forces fighting to retain control of the salt-mining town told AFP its capture by Russia was inevitable and that some units had already begun to pull back.

The eastern Ukrainian city has been badly damaged during the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia started its offensive more than a year ago. Kyiv says the fighting is becoming increasingly difficult and analysts say its forces may have initiated a strategic retreat.

But President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top commanders and his office said they favored "continuing the defensive operation and further strengthening our positions in Bakhmut." In his evening address, the president said he "told the Chief of Staff to find the appropriate forces to help the guys in Bakhmut."

Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak also told AFP there was "consensus" within the military on the need to "continue defending" the city.

Neither side has said how many troops they have lost in the battle, with observers saying both Moscow and Kyiv are trying to exhaust each other. Outside Bakhmut, some Ukrainian soldiers had lost hope that Kyiv would hold the city and looked set to retreat. 

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday