Pressure Builds to Send Tanks to Kyiv; Russian Forces Close In on Bakhmut

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin delivers a closing statement during a press conference at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, western Germany, on Sept. 8, 2022. Andre Pain/AFP via Getty Images

Leading allies of Kyiv are slated to meet Friday in Germany as pressure mounts on Berlin to provide the Ukrainian military with German-made Leopard combat tanks.

Russian sources, meanwhile, continue to report battlefield gains following the Jan. 10 capture of Soledar, a salt-mining town in the Donetsk region.