Ukraine urged its allies to send more weapons as its forces dig in, hoping to stall Russia's military advance through the eastern Donbas region, while Ukraine's chief negotiator said a turning part was approaching in the conflict.
Service members of pro-Russian troops stand next to a howitzer during an exhibition of Ukrainian army hardware and weapons left in the city after its withdrawal during Ukraine-Russia conflict, in Lysychansk, Luhansk Region, Ukraine July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
His top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, clashed with his Western counterparts at a G20 meeting in Indonesia, where they urged Russia to allow Ukraine to ship its blockaded grain out to an increasingly hungry world. Ukraine would eventually have to strike a peace deal or "continue slipping down this hill" to ruin, he said.
In the Russian-occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the south, Ukraine's deputy prime minister urged residents to evacuate before Ukrainian forces launch a counter-offensive. "It is clear that they have to redeploy things, bring forward new troops and weaponry, and this is very good. A certain turning point is beginning to take shape because we are proving we are going to attack storage facilities and command centers," Podolyak told Ukraine's 24 Channel television.