Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Sudan, which is currently embroiled in a conflict between rival factions, had the right to use the services of Russian private military company Wagner Group.
Lavrov made his comments during a news conference at the United Nations.
Until recently, the Wagner Group spearheaded the campaign to take Bakhmut in the Ukraine war, making slow progress at the cost of thousands of lives on both sides. Now, regular Russian units have joined the thrust.
Military analysts have said that seizing Bakhmut would have public relations and tactical military value for Moscow but was unlikely to prove decisive in the war’s outcome. The Russian Defence Ministry also noted the stepped-up fighting in western parts of the city on Friday.
“Wagner assault detachments are engaged in high-intensity combat operations to capture areas of western Bakhmut with airborne forces supporting on the flanks,” the ministry said in a statement.
It added: “The units of the airborne forces operating on the flanks are providing support to the assault squads and stop the enemy’s attempts to deliver ammunition to the city and bring in reserves.”
US president Joe Biden's national security team is continuing to talk to military leaders from both sides of the Sudan conflict to support a durable end to the fighting there, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
The United States is working with partners and Sudanese civilian groups to work toward a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements, she said at a news briefing.
