Moscow said it captured the territory shortly before potential peace talks began in Saudi Arabia.
Moscow says it has made new profits in Ukraine’s Smie region and Russia’s Kursk region as Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky said it was “fully committed” to having a constructive dialogue with US representatives ahead of its speech in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to end the Russian war in Ukraine.
US and Ukrainian negotiators are scheduled to meet for talks in Jeddah’s Red Sea city on Tuesday, with President Donald Trump’s administration fighting to secure a ceasefire and a “framework.”
Despite future discussions, the Russian Ministry of Defense said at a briefing that its forces “liberated” a small village in Novenke in Smee, near the border with Kresk. Moscow has also announced the recapture of the villages of Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Cherkaskoye Polechnoy and Kositsa in Kursk.
Russia temporarily occupied parts of Ukrainian Smie at the start of the full invasion in 2022, but has not taken away territory since.
Kiev has not yet commented on Russia’s claim that Russia captured Novenke. Analysts say the Russian troops could be closer to blocking major Ukrainian supply routes.
In his Sunday evening speech, Zelenskyy said:
“Diplomacy is only powerful in a strong frontline position, and we do our best to ensure that the needs of Ukraine’s frontlines are met.”
Who is meeting?
The US cut aid to force Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, blocking Ukraine’s intelligence sharing and access to satellite data and to force Kyiv to negotiate the end of the Russian invasion, following the White House Public Studies Pad with Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy has invited Trump’s rage after rejecting a mineral trade that the Ukrainian president said should involve US security guarantees. However, the Trump administration refused to commit to it, asking Europe to instead increase aid to war-covered countries.
Meanwhile, European leaders agreed to promote defence spending as they vowed to support Ukraine against the Russian threat. Washington also poured cold water into Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.
Zelensky confirmed that he will visit Saudi Arabia next week on Saturday and that Ukrainian diplomats and military representatives will remain at a meeting with the US on Tuesday after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace since the first seconds of this war. There are realistic proposals on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively,” the Ukrainian president said in X.
Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkov confirmed last week that he would meet Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, signaling to discuss “early ceasefires” and “frameworks” for a longer agreement.
The US Secretary of State will visit Saudi Arabia between March 10th and 12th, for consultation with his Ukrainian counterparts.
He will also hold talks with Prince Mohammed to discuss regional issues and ways to strengthen Arabian relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, the State Department said.
Rubio spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibikha on Friday, saying that Trump wanted to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
It will be the first high-level gathering of us and Ukrainian officials since the February 28th meeting of Zelensky and Trump ended with screams and Ukrainian leaders being asked to leave the White House.
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