The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will not defend Artemivsk (Ukrainian name - Bakhmut) at any cost and to the last soldier, since this is not the largest city. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

“It's not a particularly big city. Actually, like many others ... in the Donbass. It is important for us to defend it, but not at any cost and for everyone to die. We will fight as long as it is reasonable,” Zelensky said.

He stressed that the Ukrainian military is resisting, while preparing the next counteroffensive.

Zelensky also commented on the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron about his unwillingness to see Russia "defeated". In his opinion, the French leader is "wasting time" because "it will be a useless dialogue." Zelensky also added that "I came to the conclusion that we are not able to change the position of Russia."

Earlier, Emmanuel Macron said that France has never advocated and will not advocate the defeat of Russia. At the same time, the head of state pointed out the need for "the Ukrainian offensive to shake the Russian front and force Moscow to return to the negotiating table."