Zelenskyy tells Sunak about Russian attempts to surround Avdiivka

Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote about this.

"I informed Rishi about Russia's attempts to encircle Avdiivka. Our soldiers stopped them and inflicted significant losses on the enemy, which amounted to at least a brigade of personnel," the statement says. 

The leaders discussed further defense cooperation, in particular, strengthening the Ukrainian air defense system with missiles and anti-drone weapons.

Zelenskyy also spoke about Russia's actions in the Black Sea, which threaten civilian shipping.

"The Ukrainian grain corridor will continue to work despite everything," the president added.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the Middle East and agreed that stopping the escalation of the conflict would be in the interests of the international community.

• The Institute of War Studies believes that heavy losses of Russian equipment around Avdiivka are likely to undermine Russia's offensive potential in the long term.
• The General Staff said that the Russian Federation continues to try to surround Avdiivka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding the line and inflicting significant losses on the enemy.