Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia’s latest attempts to breach defensive lines along the front can be successfully held back. He also confirmed Ukraine has acquired additional US-made Patriot missile systems.
“They are not advancing. It’s very tough for our guys out there. And it’s tough everywhere,” Zelensky told reporters, according to a joint statement from Euronews and AP. “It’s also very hard for the Russians – and that’s good for us.” While Moscow has claimed recent gains, including the capture of some villages and farmland, no major fortified urban areas have fallen.
Zelensky said Russian sabotage and reconnaissance units have made repeated small-scale incursions near Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk, often in attempts to film propaganda videos such as raising a Russian flag. These efforts, he said, have been repelled by Ukrainian forces. He also reported improvements in the northeastern Sumy region, describing the situation there as “much better” than in previous months, with Ukrainian forces making steady progress over the past six weeks.
Meanwhile, Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities has intensified. Recent strikes have hit Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro. In Dnipro, a man was killed in an attack on a high-rise building. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was hit for the second consecutive day on Friday by a glide bomb.
Zelensky said Ukraine is working with international partners to obtain 10 Patriot air defence systems, with three already pledged by Germany and Norway.
He added that the Kremlin has begun raising the prospect of a potential summit with Ukraine, but expressed little hope for real progress. Russia, for its part, remains unwilling to engage in high-level talks without first agreeing on a comprehensive peace deal.
