UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky met today with top US military leaders and more than 50 partner nations in Germany to press for more weapons support as Washington announced it would provide another $250 million (£190m) in security assistance to Kiev.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the meeting of the leaders was taking place during a dynamic moment in Ukraine’s fight against Russia, as it conducted its first offensive operations of the war while facing a significant threat from Russian forces near a key hub in the Donbass.

So far, the surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk territory has not drawn away the Russian focus from taking the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, which provides critical rail and supply links for the Ukrainian army.