Russian troops and mercenaries appeared to be closing in on the key town of Bakhmut. Meanwhile, Germany's Scholz is traveling to Washington to meet Biden. 

Russian troops and mercenaries began closing off the last access routes to the besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine on Friday, as Moscow seemed on the precipe of its first major military victory in six months.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group, said that his forces had all but surrounded the small town in Ukraine.

Russia has been trying to take control of Bakhmut — which it refers to by its Soviet-era name of Artyomovsk — as a launchpad for further advances toward bigger cities in the area.

Prigozhin said in a video that there was only one road left for Ukrainian forces to retreat from the city, and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to order the withdrawal.

"Units of the private military company Wagner have practically surrounded Bakhmut. Only one road is left [open to Ukrainian forces]. The pincers are getting tighter," the mercenary leader said.

He also showed what appeared to be three captured Ukrainians — an old man and two young boys. Prigozhin said these increasingly made up the opponents that his forces were facing.

"It is important to stress that the Wagner group is known for pretty tall tales but never knowingly understating their achievements," Nick Connolly, DW correspondent in Ukraine, said.

While Bakhmut isn't strategically important, Connolly said that a "Ukrainian controlled withdrawal from Bakhmut could be on the cards."

Other important Ukrainian cities like Sloviansk and Kramatorsk were still safely within Ukrainian-held territory, but capturing Bakhmut represents a "crucial, symbolic win for the Russians after months of setback on their part, so there is a feeling this might be the beginning of the end of Ukrainian control of Bakhmut for now," Connolly added.

DW