Ukraine is preparing for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group later this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on April 17 as fighting continued unabated in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Zelenskiy said in his nightly address that he has held “preparatory talks" ahead of the April 21 meeting of the contact group of dozens of countries that have been providing arms to Kyiv.
He said Ukraine expected "solid decisions to be taken that will be commensurate with the prospects on the battlefield” during the upcoming meeting of Ukraine's supporters in the so-called Ramstein format.
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One of the main topics at the meeting is likely to be the supply of ammunition to Ukraine.
Zelenskiy spoke about this with the commanders of the Ukrainian armed forces on April 17. Not only the supply was discussed "but also everything related to production -- both by the state and by private companies."
As fighting continues in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials have said they are buying time ahead of an expected counteroffensive while depleting Russian forces and supplies in the battles in and around Bakhmut.
Oleksiy Danilov, head of the National Security and Defense Council, said Ukraine will launch the counteroffensive when it’s ready, adding that it’s only a matter of time before the country achieves the necessary level of military preparedness to do so.
Danilov told the AP in an interview that Ukraine's allies are helping Kyiv achieve the level of technical equipment necessary to launch the attack by delivering heavy armored vehicles and ammunition.
But he also expressed frustration that allied countries sometimes "promise one thing and do a completely different one." He didn't elaborate.
Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russian troops continue to concentrate their offensive actions on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka in Donetsk region.
Ukrainian defenders repelled more than 50 enemy attacks in these directions as Bakhmut and Maryinka remain the epicenter of hostilities, the General Staff said in its evening report on April 17.
The General Staff said earlier that Russian forces launched 25 missile strikes from S-300 antiaircraft missile systems and 42 air strikes on the cities of Zaporizhzhya and Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhya region, and the town of Snihurivka in Mykolayiv region.
"There are dead and wounded among the civilian population, high-rise and private residential buildings have been damaged, and education institutions, hospitals, churches, and other civilian infrastructure objectives have been destroyed and damaged," the military said, without specifying the number of casualties.
Zaporizhzhya administration chief Yuriy Malashko said on Telegram that at least one civilian was wounded in the city as a result of Russian shelling.
Separately, Russia's Defense Ministry said fighters from the Wagner mercenary group have captured two more city blocks in Bakhmut. The claim could not be independently verified.
Russia's Defense Ministry claims seven British mercenaries were killed in fighting in Ukraine. The ministry gave no further details, nor did it give details on the location of the battle. Neither British Defense Ministry officials or the British government have commented on the statement by Russia.
Weary But Not Beaten: Ukrainian Soldiers Return From Bakhmut To Fight Another Day
Meanwhile, Slovakia on April 17 followed in the steps of Hungary and Poland, announcing that it will temporarily halt imports of grain and other selected food products from Ukraine.
Poland and Hungary announced the bans on April 15, saying they were meant to protect their local agricultural sectors after farmers complained that their incomes were cut by the duty-free movement of large quantities of Ukrainian produce.
Ukraine and Poland on April 17 began talks aimed at reaching an agreement on the grain exports, which Polish leaders have said would not impact its political and military support for Ukraine. Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia invaded in February last year.
For its part, Ukraine said it would aim to secure the reopening of food and grain transit via Poland as a "first step" at talks in Warsaw.
Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskiy also said there would be additional talks this week in Romania on April 19 and in Slovakia on April 20. The minister's comments were published on the Telegram messaging app by the Agriculture Ministry.
Separately, Slovakia's Defense Ministry announced on April 17 that it had handed over all 13 MiG-29 fighters promised to Ukraine.
The first four aircraft were handed over last month, with the remaining nine being also "successfully handed over to the Ukrainian forces," the ministry's press service said in a statement.