will find out can it shift the dial, can it actually break the apparent deadlock that has gripped the military side of this conflict for so many months. and that matters notjust for the ukrainian government, the people of ukraine here, but also for its western backers, who are looking to see whether or not all of their support, all of their money, all of their military equipment, can make a difference on the battlefield. talking of the battlefield, it was inevitable that we spoke to mr danilov about the situation in bakhmut, the eastern city, where in eastern recent days, the wagner mercenary group claim they have been withdrawing. and i asked him about that and this is what he said. translation: we control ust a small part of the city i and we admit to that. but you have to keep in mind that bakhmut has played a big role in this war. it was a separate defence operation that played a big role today and in the future.
it was a responsible decision, he said ukraine had no right to make a mistake because as he said in the clip there, it s just such a historic moment. it s notjust a question of whether or not ukraine can retake a little bit of territory that has been held by russian occupiers. this is the moment when ukraine will find out can it shift the dial, can it actually break the apparent deadlock that has gripped the military side of this conflict for so many months. and that matters notjust for the ukrainian government, the people of ukraine here, but also for its western backers, who are looking to see whether or not all of their support, all of their money, all of their military equipment, can make a difference on the battlefield. talking of the battlefield, it was inevitable that we spoke to mr danilov about the situation in bakhmut, the eastern city, where in eastern recent days, the wagner mercenary group claim they have been withdrawing. and i asked him about that and this is what he sai
are no unilateral options, no fall back planes, no executive action you take? he said yes, essentially. he said it s up to lawmakers. so that s reality. 11 days until a potential default. there is no fall back plan. lawmakers have to reach a teal and they are very far from one, guys. phil mattingly in hiroshima. now sam kiley live in kyiv and ukraine, sorry. the wagner group says it has captured bakhmut. zelenskyy denies that the city is in russian hand and also said that there is not much left. it s in our hearts, president zelenskyy says. what do we know? reporter: so the latest from the ukrainian side is that they say that in southwest corner of the city, in the urban area, if you like, there still are ukrainian troops fighting even though kremlin and the wagner mercenary group claim they captured the town itself. now, it is also flanked