BAKHMUT, Ukraine—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the West to accelerate deliveries of weapons to Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces battled to keep Russian troops from encircling Bakhmut, the city in eastern Ukraine where the fiercest fighting is under way.
Russian forces have battered Ukrainian positions in the country’s east in recent weeks, pushing for a breakthrough before tanks pledged by Kyiv’s partners begin to arrive on the battlefield. In the eastern Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops are coming under constant attack from Russian forces, Mr. Zelensky said in his nightly address, describing the situation as “very tough.”