Zelensky says plans to withdraw troops from Bakhmut

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a news conference following the Ukraine-EU summit, Interfax-Ukraine quoted Zelensky as saying from a news conference

Zelensky said:

No one will surrender Bakhmut. We will fight as long as we can. We consider Bakhmut our fortress. We consider our heroes who have fallen there heroes. If there are accelerated arms supplies, namely long-range weapons, then not only will we not move away from Bakhmut, we will start to de-occupy Donbass.

We shall remind you that the General Staff earlier reported that the occupants suffered the heaviest losses in manpower near Bakhmut.