Ukraine live briefing: Biden and Scholz meet in White House as battle rages over Bakhmut – InfowayTechnologies

President Biden told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that his country’s support for Ukraine has been “profound” at the outset of a meeting Friday in the Oval Office of the White House — the first time the chancellor has visited since the full-scale invasion began a year ago.
“I want to thank you all for your strong and steady leadership. I mean that sincerely. It’s made a world of difference,” Biden said. “You stepped up to provide critical military support and you know, I would argue that beyond your military support, the moral support you gave Ukrainians has been profound. It’s been profound.”
Fierce fighting continues to rage over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The head of Russia’s Wagner Group, a mercenary outfit, claimed Friday that his fighters had “practically surrounded” the city, but a Ukrainian defender told The Washington Post that Ukrainian forces still control it and have not been ordered to retreat. Russian forces are “constantly hitting the city randomly with artillery, grads and mortars,” the soldier said.
Here’s the latest on the war and its impact across the globe.
Andriy Nebytov, police chief for the Kyiv region, where Bucha is located, said residents have been reluctant to report incidents of violence they witnessed under Russian occupation. “It is difficult to evaluate the actions of people who have experienced such fear,” Nebytov told reporters at the site. “Russians killed and destroyed in front of their eyes, then [residents] buried these people.”
Natalia Abbakumova, Robyn Dixon, Francesca Ebel and John Wagner contributed to this report.
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