Capture of Bakhmut means Putin will ‘smell’ weakness: Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned unless his country wins a months-long battle in the eastern city of Bakhmut, Russia may begin building international support for a peace deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

He also invited the leader of China, long aligned with Russia, to visit Ukraine.If Bakhmut falls to Russian forces, President Vladimir Putin would “sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran”, Zelenskyy said.

“If he will feel some blood – smell that we are weak – he will push, push, push,” Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The president said he worries the war could be impacted by shifting political forces in Washington. “The United States really understands that if they stop helping us, we will not win.”

Zelenskyy also extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping.