As Russian forces are continuing intense fighting to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that if that happens, it cannot be considered as an operational or strategic setback for the Ukrainian military.
"I certainly don't want to discount the tremendous work that the Ukrainian soldiers and leaders have put into defending Bakhmut, but I think its more of a symbolic value than it is strategic and operational value," Austin told reporters in Amman.
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Business News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.