Hello everyone and welcome to Amunpur. Here's what's coming up.

Russian troops close in on the Ukrainian city of Bahmoud.

How will this affect the course of the war?

I ask the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen

and how he thinks allies can help Ukraine secure a victory.

Plus, from cozying up to Putin to launching spy balloons over the United States,

tensions between Beijing and Washington reach new heights.

My conversation with Xin Su,

author of the Kingdom of Characters

about better understanding China, also ahead.

We had no idea that it was a coronavirus, but what we did know is that if it were a coronavirus, we had something that might be a help.

A grim marker three years since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Dr Kismikia Corbett talks to Walter Isachson

about developing the groundbreaking MRNA vaccine. Welcome to the program everyone. I'm Pristiana Manpur in New York. America and

its NATO allies are watching developments very closely in eastern Ukraine where

the battle for Bahmout is raging and Russia may be on the verge

of a much needed victory. As you can see, Russian troops are inching closer as they try to encircle and capture the city.

But Ukraine vows to defend what's left and says it is still in control of a key highway into the area.

So how important is Bahmood?

The US Defense Secretary says that it would not be a strategic setback

if the Ukrainians decide to reposition west of Bahmoud arguing that its value

is largely symbolic. Meanwhile in the south Russian shelling has killed three people

...