Russia Makes Battlefield Advance Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
Russian forces moved at least six miles deeper north into the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine by Tuesday, according to Reuters. The move by Russia appeared designed to give it leverage over Kyiv in any potential land swap agreements in the upcoming peace talks in Alaska this week.
'We see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war. On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday.
The Russian military appeared to be moving near Dobropillia, a coal mining town, and is launching efforts to approach Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk. Ukraine's military said on Tuesday that it had sent in reserves to block advances by small groups of Russian troops and was engaged in 'difficult' combat.
Speaking last week ahead of his talks with Putin, Trump said that an eventual peace deal would likely include 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.' Putin has long called for Ukraine to give up territory captured by the Russian military in eastern Ukraine, including Crimea.
Zelensky has fiercely rejected the idea of handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia, which is reportedly seeking to take over the eastern Donbas region and Crimea, the latter of which was illegally annexed by Russia more than a decade ago. 'Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,' Zelensky said in response to Trump's suggestion of land swaps.
European leaders have stood firmly by the Ukrainian president, criticizing the Trump Administration for facilitating negotiations without the presence of Ukraine and for considering granting Putin's demand for more land. 'We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,' a statement released on Saturday and signed by the leaders of France, Italy, the U.K., Germany, Poland, and Finland read.
The White House is reportedly considering inviting Zelensky to the summit, though plans have not been finalized. The White House did not respond to TIME's request for comment about the matter on Monday.
Trump vowed to help negotiate a peace deal between the Kremlin and Kyiv within the first 24 hours of his second presidential term, though he has faltered as Russian troops continue to launch strikes against Ukraine.
Putin and Trump's Friday meeting in Alaska marks the first time the sitting presidents of Russia and the U.S. have met since 2021, and the first time these two in particular have met since 2019.
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