The United States, France and Italy have pledged more military aid to Ukraine as heavy fighting continues in the country's east.

Ukrainian and Russian forces are locked in fierce battles in Bakhmut, a Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a news conference on Friday that his country will not give Bakhmut away and Ukrainians will fight for as long as they can.

US President Joe Biden's administration announced an aid package to Ukraine on Friday worth about 2.2 billion dollars.

The package includes rockets called Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs that have a range of around 150 kilometers, almost double the range of the rocket the US had previously supplied to Ukraine.

US Defense Department press secretary Pat Ryder told reporters the bombs will give Ukrainian forces a longer-range capability. He said the weapons will enable Ukraine to conduct operations to defend itself and to take back territory.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Biden in a video. He said the US and Ukraine must work together to deliver the aid to his country as quickly as possible.

The defense ministers of France and Italy agreed in phone talks on Friday that the two countries will jointly deliver a surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine that can intercept ballistic missiles.