Russia-Ukraine war live: Kremlin warns west that sending more weapons to Kyiv will lead to ‘significant escalation’

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for western weapons to be supplied more quickly as Russian forces continued attacks on positions across the frontline near the eastern cities of Bakhmut and Donetsk.

Speaking in his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said Russia was hoping to drag out the war, already heading for the one year mark, and exhaust his country’s ability to resist the invaders.

“So we have to make time our weapon. We must speed up the events, speed up the supply and opening of new necessary weaponry options for Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said, warning that Russia was making “constant attempts to break through our defence”.

Last week, Germany and the US agreed to send western standard tanks to Ukraine, although they will arrive in the country in two months at the earliest, before what is expected to be a critical period in the war next spring.

But the US thinktank the Institute for the Study of War argued that the incremental pace of western weapons supply – in which new arms have been sent after weeks or months of debate – has held back the Ukrainian defenders.

“Delays in the provision to Ukraine of western long-range fires [artillery] systems, advanced air defense systems, and tanks have limited Ukraine’s ability to take advantage of opportunities for larger counter-offensive operations presented by flaws and failures in Russian military operations,” it warned.

Russian forces have been pounding Bakhmut in the Donbas for several months, but in recent days the invaders to have opened up a new effort to gain ground around the village of Vuhledar, 30 miles south-west of Donetsk city.

The situation in both places, Zelenskiy said, was “very tough” with “Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas in the Donetsk region are under constant Russian attacks” as the end of January approaches.

Read the rest of my colleague Dan Sabbagh’s report here:

Related: Ukraine needs faster supply of western weapons, says Zelenskiy