The story
6000 square kilometres. That’s how much land the Ukrainian president says his soldiers have retaken from Russian forces.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s figures cannot be verified, but Russia has admitted losing key cities in the north-eastern region of Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year and still holds about a fifth of the country.
Key words and phrases
turning point
time when things start to change
• The battle was an important turning point in the war.
• Having children is a turning point in most people’s lives.
on the back foot
at a disadvantage; not prepared
• I wasn’t prepared for the interview. I was on the back foot from the start.
• After losing a player in the first minute, United were on the back foot.
cement
make stronger
• The two countries cemented good relations during the state visit.
• The company cemented its position as market leader with the new product.
0:00 – Introduction
0:24 – Story
1:13 – Headline 1: The Financial Times: The Ukraine war has reached a turning point
3:05 – Headline 2: Sky News: Russia is on the back foot in Ukraine. What does Putin do now?
4:51 – Headline 3: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Zelenskiy Calls For More Russia Sanctions, Western Arms To Help Cement Ukrainian Gains
6:36 – Language summary
For a quiz and downloads, check out our website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview-2022/unit-1/session-36
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