Struggling at Bakhmut, Pentagon 'miscalculated' aid value?

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed that his country supports all efforts to find peace for the current conflict in Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed Budapest's position on Ukraine on May 19. (Source: Hungary Today)

On May 18, writing on Telegram , Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said: “Russia has concentrated most of its reserves in Bakhmut and significantly strengthened the group. Today they attacked Bakhmut all day, but all were repelled.”

According to her, Ukrainian forces have advanced 500 meters in the northern part and 1,000 meters in some southern areas of the city.

* For his part, speaking the same day after talks with his Ugandan counterpart Jeje Odongo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the US has not taken any constructive actions to resolve the issue in Ukraine. He noted that the US itself is the cause of the conflict “through its strategic path of opposing the objective formation of a multipolar world, with the aim of maintaining Washington's hegemony and wanting all countries to submit to its will”.

* On May 18, speaking at a joint session of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that the ministry is considering joining a European initiative to train Ukrainian soldiers "by sending experts to command posts in Brussels, Poland and Germany, and providing specialized training modules at schools and military facilities on Italian soil."

He revealed the possibility of Italy deploying about 3,400 troops on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2023. Notably, the plan could include the deployment of a naval unit with air defense and missile defense capabilities in the Baltic Sea, contributing to the reinforcement of Polish and Euro-Atlantic airspace.

* On May 18, speaking at a press conference on the occasion of the board meeting of the Christian Democratic International Organization (CDI-IDC) in Bled (Slovenia), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban affirmed that Budapest supports all peace plans for Ukraine.

The leader said his country stands on the side of peace, supporting all peace plans, because “we do not know which plan will ultimately succeed, but if we do not take the first step, we will never achieve peace.”

He pointed out two ways of talking about the future of the conflict: one that talks about resolving the conflict by military means, while the other says that there is no such possibility. Therefore, a ceasefire and peace negotiations are necessary.

* In related news, a US Senate aide and a defence official said on May 18 that the Pentagon overvalued US equipment sent to Ukraine by about $3 billion. “We have found inconsistencies in the way we valued the equipment that was provided,” one official said.

The US Congress has been informed of the change. The error could open up the possibility of more weapons being sent to Kiev to defend against Russian forces.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tinh-hinh-ukraine-giang-co-tai-bakhmut-lau-nam-goc-tinh-nham-gia-tri-vien-tro-227675.html