Ukrainian president seeks further support for soldiers in embattled eastern city

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressing for further support from the Ukrainian people for soldiers in an embattled city in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.

“I am asking all our people: wherever you are, please support the Ukrainian heroes who are holding out against the fiercest attacks … against the most insane Russian strikes. Support our Bakhmut – tattered yet unconquered – and its defenders,” Zelenskyy said in a video address to the public late Tuesday.

Zelenskyy vowed that they will provide Ukrainian soldiers with whatever they need to beat back Russian forces.

“We will do everything possible and impossible, expected and unexpected, so that our heroes have everything they need to prevail. To get the results that all Ukrainians expect. That all our cities and villages on the frontline are waiting for,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy added that this week is extremely important for Ukraine in order to get through the winter and next year, as well as for gaining support and for the Ukrainian flag to “finally prevail on all sections of the border of Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy on Tuesday paid an unexpected visit to Bakhmut, where he gave out military awards and gifts to soldiers on the front line. On Wednesday, he is due in Washington, DC – his first trip abroad since the war began this February – where will meet with President Joe Biden and address a joint session of the US Congress.

Donetsk, which borders Russia, is a region of Ukraine that has been ridden with conflict against Russian-backed separatists since 2014. This September, Moscow said it was annexing the region, a move rejected by most of the international community.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​