Ukraine's military has inflicted "extraordinarily significant" losses on Russian forces near the town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donbas region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.
"The situation is very complicated. And we are fighting. We are breaking down the invaders and inflicting extraordinarily significant losses on Russia," Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
Mr Zelenskyy referred to several towns in Donbas — where fighting has been focused for months — saying "the more losses Russia suffers there, in Donbas, in Bakhmut, Vuhledar, Marinka, Kreminna, the faster we will be able to end this war with Ukraine's victory".
The Ukrainian president outlined the state of defence in other sectors after what he described as an "extended" meeting of the military command.
Matters were under control near the Black Sea port of Odesa, he said, and troops were "protecting" the central region of Zaporizhzhia, partly controlled by Russian forces.
There were "very good results" on the northern border with Russia and its ally Belarus, areas where Ukrainian troops retook cities from Russian forces in September and October.
"Of course, military issues and intelligence details are not something you can share with everyone," Mr Zelenskyy said.
"But I want our people to have predictability right now — and a sense that Ukraine is moving towards its goals."
Don't forget Napoleon, Russia warns France
Meanwhile, Russia has scolded French President Emmanuel Macron over remarks about wanting to see Russia defeated, saying Moscow still remembered the fate of Napoleon Bonaparte and accusing Mr Macron of duplicitous diplomacy with the Kremlin.
Mr Macron told the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that France wanted Russia to be defeated in Ukraine but had never wanted to "crush" it.
"About 'Never': France did not begin with Macron, and the remains of Napoleon, revered at the state level, rest in the centre of Paris," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"France — and Russia — should understand.
"In general, Macron is priceless," she said, adding that his remarks showed the West had engaged in discussions about regime change in Russia while Mr Macron had repeatedly sought meetings with the Russian leadership.
Mr Macron has drawn criticism from some NATO allies for delivering mixed messages regarding his policy on the war between Ukraine and Russia, with some considering Paris a weak link in the Western alliance.
On Friday, Mr Macron urged allies to step-up military support for Ukraine, but also said he did not believe in regime change and that there would have to be negotiations at some point.
"Let's be clear. I don't believe for one second in regime change and, when I hear a lot of people calling for regime change, I ask them, 'For which change? Who's next? Who is your leader?'"
Clarifying those comments, he said in the paper that he did not believe a democratic solution from within civil society would emerge in Russia after years of a hardening of Moscow's position and conflict.
He added that he saw no alternative to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had to be brought back to the negotiating table.
"All the options other than Vladimir Putin in the current system seem worse to me," Mr Macron said.
Macron, Zelenskyy discuss wartime plans
Mr Zelenskyy said the French leader was "wasting his time" considering any sort of dialogue with Russia
"It will be a useless dialogue. In fact, Macron is wasting his time. I have come to the conclusion that we are not able to change the Russian attitude," Mr Zelenskyy said.
"If they have decided to isolate themselves in the dream of rebuilding the old Soviet empire, we cannot do anything about it. It is up to them to choose or not to cooperate with the community of nations on the basis of mutual respect."
He rejected any suggestion that it was Western sanctions that had driven Mr Putin into isolation.
"It was, instead, the decision to launch the war that marginalised [Mr] Putin," he said.
Mr Macron and Mr Zelenskyy also discussed strategies on Sunday, including what the Ukrainian leader described as joint decisions ahead of this week's anniversary of Russia's invasion of his country.
The two leaders spoke by telephone as Western leaders pledged at a conference in Munich to strengthen their support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's latest military attacks.
Mr Zelenskyy, in his nightly video address, said he thanked the French president "for understanding our needs and for expressing jointly that we cannot waste any opportunity or a single week in our defence against Russian aggression".
"We also discussed important decisions that we are planning for this week — for our year of resistance."
That was a reference to the first anniversary of Russia's invasion, on February 24.
Mr Macron's office said the two leaders had discussed Mr Zelenskyy's visits this month to London, Paris and the European Union in Brussels, and that Mr Macron had restated NATO's backing for more military supplies to Ukraine.
The French president also reaffirmed to Mr Zelenskyy his support for a 10-point peace proposal laid out by Mr Zelenskyy, during their phone call.
Reuters/ABC
