Ukraine seeks more NATO aid amid ‘difficult’ front-line situation

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces are facing a “difficult” situation as they defend against attempted Russian advances in several regions, while NATO members promised more weapons to the war-hit country and equipment to help restore electricity infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Wednesday its forces had repelled six Russian attacks in the past 24 hours in the eastern Donbas region, while Russian artillery had relentlessly shelled the right bank of the Dnieper River and Kherson city further south.

Ukrainians on Tuesday fled for bomb shelters after air raid warning sirens in a number of cities, although the all-clear later sounded across the country. In the eastern Donetsk region, Russian forces pounded Ukrainian targets with artillery, mortar and tank fire.

Separately, Zelenskyy said the Russian military was also attacking Luhansk, in the east, and Kharkiv, in the northeast, the latter an area Ukraine recaptured in September.

“The situation at the front is difficult,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. “Despite extremely large losses, the occupiers are still trying to advance” in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv. And “they are planning something in the south”, he said.

The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.

They came as ministers from the NATO alliance are in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, for a two-day meeting.

United States and European officials said ministers would focus in their talks on non-lethal aid such as fuel, medical supplies and winter equipment, as well as on military assistance. The US said it would provide $53m to buy power grid equipment.

Agencies