Leaders across the world are gathering for a security conference in Munich today as Russian forces close in on Bakhmut.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz, French president Emmanuel Macron and US vice president Kamala Harris are among many top officials attending the Munich Security Conference.
This year, leaders will grapple with the consequences of Vladimir Putin’s decision to ignore their pleas of bringing the war to an end.
Russian leaders will be notable by their absence at the conference, which runs until Sunday, but senior Ukrainian officials are expected to address it.
Meanwhile, at least three men and two women were killed as Russian Grad rockets and barrel artillery slammed into Bakhmut, with Ukraine’s prosecutor general saying it was being investigated as a war crime.
Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine, is highly sought after by Putin. However, experts say it has little strategic importance on its own, but is seen as a stepping stone to capturing larger swathes of the east.
