US promises $400m more for Ukraine

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW -The United States has responded to a Russian warning against arming Ukraine by offering a further $400 million in security assistance, as President Joe Biden hosted Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday in a show of unity against Moscow.

The head of Russia's Wagner paramilitary group meanwhile said its forces had "practically encircled" the city of Bakhmut, scene of the fiercest fighting of the conflict.

Western military aid for Ukraine has been key to Kyiv, but the Kremlin said such assistance will only "prolong the conflict and have sad consequences for the Ukrainian people".

Arms deliveries "place a significant burden on the economies of these countries and negatively affect the well-being of citizens of these countries, including Germany", the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Washington ignored that warning, announcing the new security aid for Kyiv that featured ammunition, including for the HIMARS precision rocket system that Ukrainian forces have used to devastating effect against Russian troops and supply dumps.

In a display of partnership after friction over supplying tanks to Ukraine, Biden hosted Scholz at the White House for his first trip to Washington since the conflict began one year ago. They met privately in the Oval Office for more than an hour, their top advisers being left out of the conversation.

The absence of a joint news conference raised questions about remaining difficulties, but the two leaders tried to dispel that impression, with Scholz saying the bilateral relationship was "in a very good shape".

In another show of support for Ukraine, the US Attorney General Merrick Garland made a surprise visit to the country on Friday to attend a conference.

On Saturday Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu paid a rare visit to his country's forces at the front line, his ministry said.

In a video published by the ministry, Shoigu is seen awarding medals to military personnel and touring a ruined town with the Eastern Military District's commander, Colonel-General Rustam Muradov.

Battle for Bakhmut

The head of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said in a video published on Telegram on Friday that the group's units "have practically surrounded Bakhmut, (and) only one road remains" to be captured.

Prigozhin has regularly posted about Wagner's advances and said in recent weeks that its fighters have seized three villages north of Bakhmut: Yagidne, Berkhivka and Paraskoviivka.

Ukraine has said it will defend "fortress Bakhmut" for as long as possible, but last week officials said the situation was difficult.

Russia is determined to fully take Bakhmut, a now-destroyed city once known for its sparkling wine, of great importance in controlling the Donetsk region.

Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have reported heavy casualties in the struggle for control of Bakhmut, whose symbolic importance outstrips its military significance.

Russia said last week that a group of Ukrainian combatants had crossed into the southern Bryansk region, a claim that Kyiv dismissed as a "provocation".

Moscow said its regions bordering Ukraine are routinely shelled by Ukrainian forces, but the reported incursion was a rare instance of fighting inside Russia.

On Friday Peskov said, "Measures will be taken to prevent similar events in the future."

Agencies - Xinhua