May 21, 2023 Russia-Ukraine war news

Ukraine's military does not control much of the eastern city of Bakhmut, Ukraine's army commander said Sunday, but its units are holding on to positions surrounding the city.

Syrskyi said his troops have been advancing along the city’s flanks and are now approaching the “tactical encirclement” of Bakhmut. “This will allow us to control all high-rise buildings occupied by the enemy and gradually destroy them,” he said. 

“We are continuing our defense. The situation is difficult but under control,” Syrskyi continued. 

Some background: The chief of the Russian private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday that his forces had taken complete control of the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Kyiv officials have insisted Russia does not entirely occupy Bakhmut, saying Ukraine's military is holding on to a small area on the city's westernmost edge.

CNN cannot independently verify battlefield developments.

In reports from the front leading up to Wagner's claim Saturday, Ukraine's military had focused on progress made in areas immediately surrounding the city, while Wagner forces had said they were consolidating territory closer to the city center.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would like Japan and South Korea to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine but he understands "there are legislative and constitutional difficulties."

He said regarding diplomatic pressure on Russia and certain formats of diplomatic resolution of the war in Ukraine “the key is respect for the UN Charter and international law."

Zelensky made the comments as part of a series of in-person appeals to fellow leaders gathered in Japan to remain united against Russian aggression.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the pictures of ruined Hiroshima he saw on his visit to the Japanese city “really remind” him of the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, and other similar settlements or towns. 

The city, which Ukraine denies Russia controls, has seen some of the most brutal fighting of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has again denied that Bakhmut is occupied by Russia, saying Ukrainian soldiers remain in the city. 

“I clearly understand what is happening in Bakhmut. I can't share the tactics of the military, but a country even bigger than ours cannot defeat us. A little time will pass and we will be winning. Today our soldiers are in Bakhmut. I will not share the locations,” Zelensky said.

“Bakhmut is not occupied by Russian Federation as of today. There are no two or three interpretations of those words,” he added.

There are conflicting reports about who controls Bakhmut and CNN is unable to independently verify battlefield claims.

Zelensky's comments come after Russia’s Wagner mercenary group on Saturday claimed to have finally taken the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the scene of bitter fighting for months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said what he has seen in Hiroshima, Japan, is similar to “the ruins of (Ukrainian) cities which have been burned to the ground by Russian bombs and artillery."

Speaking during a news conference at the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Sunday, he said Hiroshima is now a rebuilt city and Ukrainians “dream of rebuilding all our cities that are now in ruins, and every village where not a single house is left intact after Russian strikes."

“We dream of returning our territories, just as we have regained our northern territories which were occupied by Russia. We must regain our eastern and southern territories of Ukraine. 

“We dream of returning our people who are now in Russian captivity. These are prisoners of war and civilians, deported adults and also abducted children. We dream of winning, we dream of peace after our victory,” Zelensky said.

Some context: G7 talks culminated Sunday with a series of dramatic, in-person appeals from Zelensky as he pressed leaders gathered in Japan to remain united against Russian aggression.

Zelensky’s decision to travel halfway across the world to deliver his entreaties to the world’s major industrial democracies in person underscored both the unity and the uncertainty leaders find themselves in fourteen months since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine began.

Ukraine's Armed Forces said Sunday it continues to hold a number of buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, after Russia's Wagner Group claimed to have taken the city Saturday. 

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar also reiterated Sunday that Ukrainian forces were holding the defense, posting on Telegram that the "enemy failed to encircle and they lost some of the dominant heights around the city."

She said Ukrainian forces were still making advances in the suburbs around the city, which “makes it very difficult for the enemy to remain in Bakhmut."

"Our defenders retain control over industrial and infrastructure facilities and the private sector of Bakhmut in the ‘Airplane’ district,” Maliar said.

CNN cannot independently verify these battlefield claims.

The Group of Seven nations strives to bring "just and lasting peace to Ukraine as soon as possible," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday, following talks between G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Hiroshima.

Kishida said the summit was held in the midst of "challenges to principles that our predecessors had forged and defended over the years," including respect for sovereignties and territorial integrity, and that inviting Zelensky showed the "unwavering solidarity" between the G7 and Ukraine. 

The Japanese prime minister, who hosted the event, also highlighted the multiple crises facing the global community, including climate change and the pandemic, as well as the impacts of the war in Ukraine. 

Kishida also highlighted an action plan endorsed by G7 leaders to work toward global nuclear disarmament.

The document, known as the Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, is of "historical significance," Kishida said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked President Biden Sunday for the “powerful” financial assistance provided by the US, which totals $37 billion, and for the new military assistance package, according to a readout from the president’s office.

Biden earlier announced the military assistance package, worth $375 million, which includes ammunition, artillery and vehicles, as he met with Zelensky in Japan at the G7 summit.

"The United States continues to do all we can to strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself," Biden said, citing his recent decision to allow F-16 fighter jets to go to Ukraine and to train Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft in the United States.

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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "clear global leadership of democracy" in remarks delivered in person at a session of the G7 summit in Japan on Sunday, according to a readout from the president's office.

Zelensky emphasized the importance of having air defense systems to protect all cities of Ukraine, saying that “we decide – not our enemy – what the sky security will be like.”

Zelensky also thanked leaders who helped Ukraine with air defense and said he was grateful for the decision to train Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter aircrafts. 

This week US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Ukrainian pilots to be trained to fly F-16s, reversing his previous position.

Zelensky said on Saturday that his government is coordinating on weapons, air defense and fighter jets with its allies in response to Russia’s war.

The G7 are seeking common ground on a host of global issues, including how to confront Beijing’s growing military and economic assertiveness as well as the war raging in Europe.

G7 member countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, include the largest backers of Ukraine’s defense.