Pentagon chief says Russian reports on Soledar's capture have no confirmation

The Pentagon chief made the statement during a press conference following the meeting of the US-Japan Security Advisory Committee in Washington, Ukrinform reports.

"First, let me begin with the question you asked on Soledar and whether or not it's fallen to the Russians. At this point, we can't corroborate that reporting," the US Secretary of Defense stressed.

He noted that "very dynamic" fighting is taking place there, and control over the areas is changing hands in a fierce struggle.

"We are focused on doing everything we can to help make sure that the Ukrainians have the capabilities that they need to be successful in their efforts to defend their sovereign territory," the Pentagon chief noted.

Austin informed that he regularly communicates with his Ukrainian counterpart. In addition, he reminded that next week, Germany would host the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's Defense in the Ramstein format with the participation of about 50 countries.The main topic of discussion will be Ukraine’s primary needs at the current stage and what it needs to achieve success in the future.

"We're going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and from everything that I can see from our allies and partners, they feel the same way. So we remain united in our efforts," the US Secretary of Defense stressed.

• As a reminder, Prigozhin announced the capture of Soledar by the Wagner PMC, but later the Russian Defense Ministry added that they only partially controlled the city. According to the AFU General Staff, Russia is focusing on offensive actions in the Bakhmut direction. Fighting for Soledar continues.