May 21, 2023 Russia-Ukraine war news

US President Joe Biden announced a new security assistance package to Ukraine as he met with the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Japan on Sunday.

It was their first face-to-face meeting since Biden visited Kyiv in February, and came amid Zelensky's historic visit to the G7 summit in Japan.

Biden said new sanctions on Russia would "ensure that we keep pressure on Putin to hold his backers accountable."

The new security assistance package, which a senior US administration official said earlier would total $375 million, would include ammunition, artillery and vehicles, Biden said.

He voiced support for a "just peace" in Ukraine and said the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty was "non-negotiable."

"Together with the entire G7, we have Ukraine's back and I promise we're not going anywhere."

Biden recounted hearing air raid sirens blaring while the two men were walking through the Ukrainian capital during Biden's visit earlier this year.

"We kept walking. You don't care about the sirens. I don't care about the sirens," Biden said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has underscored his country’s support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia, saying “Ukraine’s security is our security.”

The United Kingdom will begin training Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets “this summer” to “support Ukraine’s air force with what it needs for the future,” Sunak said in remarks delivered Sunday in Hiroshima, Japan.

Sunak welcomed the “very tangible progress on providing further support,” made at the G7, most notably US President Joe Biden’s support for an “international coalition” of countries to provide the advanced fighter jets to Ukraine.

Sunak lauded Zelensky’s presence at the G7 in Hiroshima as a "very powerful moment." The pair held a bilateral meeting Saturday.

“To see President Zelensky standing shoulder to shoulder with his G7 allies I think sends a message to Russia and the world, that we are united behind President Zelensky and his people and will continue to support him for as long as it takes,” Sunak said.

US President Joe Biden is meeting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he had presented Ukraine's 10-point peace formula "to the world," as he met world leaders at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

"Our world is vast, but we are all in it together," Zelensky added. "From Japan to the Arab countries, from Europe to Latin America, we find support for our formula. And we continue this work," he said.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) said Sunday they have not conceded the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The chief of the Russian private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday that his forces had taken complete control of Bakhmut after months of brutal fighting.

CNN could not independently verify Prigozhin’s claim.

US President Joe Biden is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Hiroshima, Japan, Sunday, underscoring US support for Ukraine as top US officials herald a unified Group of Seven summit. 

Biden, the official said, “will continue to reiterate the United States’ firm and resolute support for Ukraine going forward.”  

The official pointed to a “powerful statement of unity” from the G7 countries standing against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at this week’s summit, including sanctions and the announcement of a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft — efforts that were “spearheaded” by US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Asked about the possibility of China playing a role in ending Russia’s war, the official said the US hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping views this week’s summit as a signal of “resolve.” 

Biden is also expected to have a trilateral meeting with South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida early Sunday afternoon local time. The official called the relationships a “priority” for Biden. The leaders will discuss security, economics and other topics.

Remember: The G7 comprises the world’s most advanced industrialized democracies: the US, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Italy. Tokyo has also invited several other rising economic powers and regional players to the meetings.

Ukrainian troops are engaged in heavy fighting with Russian forces in and around the long-contested city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's military said in its daily update Saturday.  

“Heavy fighting for the city of Bakhmut continues. In addition, during the day, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of Bila Hora,” it said, referring to a village to the southwest of Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces have succeeded in regaining small pockets of territory there in the last fortnight.

Competing claims: Earlier Saturday, the chief of the Russian private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed his forces have taken complete control of Bakhmut after months of brutal fighting.

CNN could not independently verify Prigozhin’s claim, and Ukrainian officials have disputed it, saying they are still holding territory on the western edge of the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his government is preparing “new joint steps” with its allies in response to Russia’s war. 

Zelensky said he held separate meetings with leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, France, India, Germany and the European Commission. 

The Ukrainian president also said he submitted Ukraine’s 10-point peace formula to the participants of the Arab League Summit on Friday. 

"And we will do everything to ensure that the world's involvement in our peace initiative is as high as possible," he added. 

Zelensky mentioned India in particular, saying that he believes the country "will take part in the restoration of the international order based on the rules that are obviously needed by all free nations." 

Zelensky met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, the first in-person meeting between the two since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022. Modi – who has so far refused to condemn the invasion – said India would do "everything we can" to help end the war.

CNN's Simone McCarthy contributed reporting to this post.

According to Wagner, the battle for the city of Bakhmut has come to an end, as the Russian private military group claims that forces have taken complete control of the long-contested city in eastern Ukraine.

CNN could not independently verify Wagner's claim, and a message from a Ukrainian defense official disputed it, saying Kyiv's troops still hold a small part of the city.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed his forces will hand control of Bakhmut to the Russian military on May 25.

The city's capture can be viewed largely as a symbolic target for Moscow, though it also provides important road connections to other parts of the Donetsk region: eastward to the border with Luhansk, northwest to Sloviansk and southwest to Kostiantynivka.

Here's what else you should know in a day of major developments for the war in Ukraine:

G7 summit: G7 members are meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a surprise attendee. The G7 comprises the world’s most advanced industrialized democracies: the US, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Italy. Tokyo has also invited Australia, South Korea, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, all rising economic powerhouses and key Asian regional players.

At the summit, leaders decided on a plan to counter Moscow and agreed to "support Ukraine for as long as it takes in the face of Russia’s illegal war of aggression." The G7 also called on China to press Russia to "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine," and stop its military aggression.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterized the decisions made at the G7 summit as cynical ploys to hold back Russia and China.

Next up, all eyes are on a meeting between Zelensky and US President Joe Biden, set for Sunday afternoon local time (1 a.m. ET).

On the ground: Russia launched another “massive drone attack” at Kyiv during the early morning hours Saturday, marking their 11th airstrike this month, the city's military administration said.

Meanwhile, Russian troops in occupied Mariupol, a city in Ukraine's southeast, are receiving backup after explosions rocked a Russian base there Friday, a local Ukrainian official said.

Military aid: Zelensky thanked the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the leadership he says the UK has shown building an international coalition to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets. Russia's deputy foreign minister denounced the coalition, warning Western countries of “enormous risks for themselves" if Ukraine is provided with F-16 fighter jets, Russian state media TASS reported Saturday.