Russian forces have advanced further into Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region on the seventh day of its surprise attack across the border.
In a visit to the region, Volodymyr Zelensky admitted the battle remains “extremely difficult” after meeting with soldiers and those wounded in the fight.
However, the Ukrainian president said he is “strengthening” their troops in an attempt to boost morale.
Moscow has made inroads of at least several kilometres into the north of Kharkiv region since Friday, forcing Kyiv’s outmanned troops to try to hold the line on a new front as Russia mounts more pressure on the front in the east.
It comes as Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Thursday as they began two-day talks to discuss their deepening “friendship”.
Xi pledged to “cherish and nurture” China’s relationship with Russia as Putin described their partnership as “one of the main stabilising factors on the international arena”.
Key delegates, including Putin’s newly-appointed defence minister Andrei Belousov and his predecessor Sergei Shoigu, have joined Putin for the talks, which are expected to focus heavily on Russia and China’s burgeoning defence co-operation.