Jeddah: On Monday, Ukrainian forces advanced with a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion and took strategic high ground around the flashpoint eastern city of Bakhmut.

According to Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar, Kyiv's forces had established fire control over "entrances, exits and movement of the enemy around the city." 

Our troops seized control of important commanding heights near Bakhmut as they advanced.

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Since the counteroffensive started early last month, the Ukrainian military reported that its troops have retaken 169 sq km on the southern front and 24 sq km around Bakhmut, tightening the noose around Russian troops occupying the city.

"We all want to complete it more quickly because every day brings about new Ukrainian casualties. We're moving forward. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president, said, "We are not stuck. 

"Everyone here would like to see the counteroffensive completed sooner. However, reality exists. The initiative is currently in our favour.

NATO leaders were meeting in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius for a summit of the Western military alliance as Zelensky was speaking, and Ukraine's membership was a top topic of discussion. 

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The decision by US President Joe Biden to provide Ukraine with contentious cluster-bomb munitions, which are prohibited in more than 120 countries, caused simmering unrest prior to the summit.

Several NATO members, including the UK, have concerns about the move. 

On his way to Vilnius on Monday to speak with the prime minister Rishi Sunak about the Ukraine and other matters, Biden stopped in London.

NATO members disagree on how to put Ukraine on the path to membership, but they appeared to have overcome a significant obstacle on Monday. 

The removal of the requirement for a Membership Action Plan—a list of political, economic, and military objectives that other eastern European countries had to meet before joining—was part of a package, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Zelensky wants a clear invitation to join the alliance after the war is over as well as security assurances in the interim, and he is expected to attend the summit.  

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NATO allies in eastern Europe have supported Ukraine's position, but the US and Germany are leery of any action that might pit NATO against Russia directly.

"No final decision has been made, but I am positively certain that at the summit we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine," said Stoltenberg.