Ukraine has denied claims by Russia that it has taken full control of Bakhmut but warned the situation in the key battle town is “critical”. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s defence minister, pushed back on the claim by Yevgeny Prigozhin that his Wagner Group of mercenaries had seized the town around lunchtime. "Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical," she said on the Telegram messaging app. "As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector." Elsewhere, Volodymyr Zelensky is inJapan for the G7 summit, marking his first high-level visit to Asia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. His visit comes after a massive boost for Ukraine’s war effort, with US President Joe Biden telling G7 leaders that Washington supports joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The Kremlin responded by saying any move by Western countries to supply Ukraine with the fighter jets would carry “colossal risks”. Read More Ukraine repels Russian forces in Bakhmut after overnight strikes on Kyiv Pentagon accounting error could give Ukraine extra $3bn in US weapons Russia extends detention of US consular worker by 3 months Putin clashes with own finance minister over damage done to Russian economy by oil sanctions

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