Russia’s military operations in eastern Ukraine were gaining speed and seizing more ground on Wednesday ahead of a summit in Alaska between U.S. president Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
According to an analysis of battlefield data from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces have made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year.
And, as battle raged, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders met to hold urgent online talks with Trump, hoping to convince him to respect Kyiv’s interests during Friday’s looming summit with Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not been invited to the Alaska meeting, prompting concerns that Kyiv could be forced into concessions.
The Ukrainian president said on social media Tuesday that “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.”
