The US talks about Bakhmut's value, German newspaper says Mr. Zelensky disagrees with the military

Fighting in Bakhmut between Russian and Ukrainian military forces has lasted for seven months.

"I think it has more symbolic value than strategic and operational value," Austin told Reuters. "The fall of Bakhmut does not necessarily mean that Russia has changed the course of the conflict," the US defense secretary added, saying he would not predict whether Bakhmut would fall.

Ukrainian soldiers attack enemy positions near Bakhmut. Photo: AP

Mr. Austin said that if Ukrainian forces decided to redeploy west of Bakhmut, he would not consider this a strategic defeat.

German newspaper says there are disagreements on withdrawing troops from Bakhmut

German newspaper Bild reported on March 6 that an internal conflict is occurring between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny regarding the decision to withdraw troops from Bakhmut.

Sources in Kiev told Bild that General Zaluzhny had advised President Zelensky weeks ago to abandon Bakhmut rather than try to defend it, as Russian troops were about to take control of the city. However, the Ukrainian president viewed Bakhmut as a fortress and refused to order a withdrawal.

Last week, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's private military company Wagner, declared that “Bakhmut is practically completely surrounded”, and there is only one way to evacuate.

According to US media, Washington has urged President Zelensky to withdraw from Bakhmut and focus on preparing for a major spring counteroffensive using Western-supplied weapons. However, the Ukrainian leader is concerned that this move will have a negative impact on the morale of the troops.

However, US officials assessed that the loss of Bakhmut did not affect the strategic situation.