US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has played down the significance of a Ukrainian retreat from the eastern city of Bakhmut, as Russia’s months-long offensive came closer to encircling the city.
Despite the terrain being of limited military importance, the battle for Bakhmut has been one of the most costly and hard-fought of the Ukraine war, stretching over almost nine months of grinding combat.
Speaking to reporters on a trip to Jordan on Monday, Austin said a Ukrainian withdrawal would not mean that had “changed the tide of this fight”. “If the Ukrainians decide to reposition [to the west of Bakhmut] I would not view that as an operational or strategic setback,” he said.
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