Li Hui, China’s special envoy for Eurasia and a former president, will begin a diplomatic tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European countries on Monday that Beijing says is aimed at discussing a “political solution” to the Ukraine crisis. The ambassador to Russia will also visit Poland, France and Germany as part of this multi-day tour, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, without giving a detailed schedule.

Ukrainian guns in action on the Bakhmut FrontPhoto: LIBKOS / AP / Profimedia

Basic information about the war in Ukraine, day 446, LIVETEXT:

06:08 ​France will arm several Ukrainian battalions with dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks

A brief summary of recent events:

  • Zelenskyi said that his Ukraine and its Western backers could make Russia’s defeat in the war “irreversible” this year and thanked Germany for being a “true friend” during a visit to Berlin. On Saturday, Germany announced 2.7 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, the largest such package since the Russian invasion, and pledged to continue supporting Kyiv as long as needed.
  • France has announced that it will send dozens of armored vehicles and light tanks, including AMX-10RC combat vehicles, to Ukraine in the coming weeks. This was announced after the working dinner of French President Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky in Paris.
  • Leaders of the G7 countries plan to tighten sanctions on Russia at their summit in Japan this week, using measures to target energy and exports that help Moscow in its military effort, officials with direct knowledge of the talks said. The G7 and the EU will also ban Russian gas imports on routes where Moscow has cut off supplies, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
  • Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that two of its military commanders were killed in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv forces stepped up efforts to break through Russian defenses in Bakhmut.
  • Ukrainian troops are advancing in Bakhmut from two directions and have captured more than ten positions of Russian troops in the north and south of the city, but the situation in the center of the city is more complicated, Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar said on Saturday.
  • The EU should speed up the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, as the country’s forces need 1,000 artillery shells every day in the Bakhmut region alone, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Saturday.
  • Zelensky hinted that the Armed Forces have almost enough means and weapons to launch an offensive, and that he needs a few more visits to allied countries.

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  • The events of Sunday, the 445th day of the war, were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro