Ukrainian troops holding Bakhmut line demand weapons as world powers meet

Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Air Assault Brigade sit inside a Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bahmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 16, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine/MUNICH (Reuters) -Ukrainian soldiers fighting to hold off a Russian push on the small eastern city of Bakhmut pleaded for more weapons from the outside world as senior Western leaders met in Munich on Friday to assess the year-long war shaking Europe.

"Give us more military equipment, more weapons, and we will deal with the Russian occupier, we will destroy them," said Dmytro, a serviceman standing in the snow near Bakhmut, echoing a plea by his president to the Munich conference.