The frontline city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine is the scene of fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces Friday as President Volodymyr Zelensky travels to Berlin and Paris seeking security deals and military aid.

“Our troops are using all available forces and means to restrain the enemy,” Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, a Ukrainian general in the east, said on social media.

“New positions have been prepared and powerful fortifications continue to be prepared,” he added. “We value every piece of Ukrainian land, but the highest value and priority for us is the preservation of the life of a Ukrainian soldier.”

Russia has been trying to capture Avdiivka for months.

The fall of Avdiivka would be a significant symbolic victory for Russia.

Meanwhile, Zelensky’s European tour comes at a critical time with Ukrainian troops, facing ammunition shortages amid fresh Russian attacks.

He hopes to secure sustained financing and armaments at the Munich Security Conference, where leaders including United States Vice President Kamala Harris are due to gather.

The European Union will have to double its military support to Ukraine to fill a gap left by the US after months of blockage of new aid by Congress, a research institute that monitors assistance, said on Friday.

The EU has also admitted that it will only be able to make good on half of the one million artillery shells it promised to send by March.

The German government said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz would on Friday sign a bilateral security pact that covered Ukraine’s “long-term security commitments and support.”

The Elysee also confirmed that a security agreement would be signed with Ukraine on Friday, but did not provide any specifics on its content.

“Europe will have to at least double its current military support efforts in case there is no further support from the United States,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker and Research Director at the Kiel Institute.

A total of 265.1 billion euros have been pledged to Ukraine since February 2022, of which 141.3 billion in financial aid, 107.5 billion in military aid and 16.3 billion in humanitarian aid.

The EU and its member states are the biggest donors with 144.1 billion euros, the US with 67.7 billion and the United Kingdom 15.7 billion.

But there is a big gap between pledges and money shelled out, especially in the case of the EU, which has so far only allocated 77.2 billion. This is because the bloc’s pledges are spread over several years. WITH AFP