Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow appeared focused on preparing for further attacks rather than negotiating peace. “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,” Zelensky said on social media.
The Ukrainian army reported recent fighting around the village of Kucheriv Yar in Donetsk, confirming the speed of Russian gains. Ukrainian forces also announced that they had recaptured two villages in the eastern Sumy region. “It's tough. But we are holding back the enemy,” Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote on Facebook following a meeting with Zelensky and senior military leaders. “In the Sumy direction, we are conducting active operations and have some success advancing forward, liberating Ukrainian land.”
Zelensky stated that Ukraine will not cede territory in the Donetsk region as part of any ceasefire agreement, according to the BBC.
“We will not withdraw from the Donbas... if we withdraw from the Donbas today – our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control – we will clearly open a bridgehead for the Russians to prepare an offensive,” he told reporters. The Donbas includes the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, both claimed by Russia.
Analysis shows the Russian military has made gains of roughly 10 kilometers over two days in a narrow corridor, threatening the mining town of Dobropillia, which has been targeted by drone strikes and is seeing civilian evacuations. The corridor also further isolates Kostiantynivka, one of the last large urban centers in Donetsk still under Ukrainian control.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based monitoring group, said Russia has been sending small sabotage groups forward but called it “premature” to label the advances as an operational breakthrough. Operational-Tactical Group Donetsk described fighting as “complex, unpleasant and dynamic,” while Frontelligence Insight analyst Tatarigami_UA noted that Russia has historically launched offensives ahead of negotiations to gain leverage. “The current situation is serious, but far from the collapse some suggest,” he said.
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said Russian advances were aided by a “partial collapse in the front” caused by a shortage of Ukrainian soldiers. He suggested elite Ukrainian units had been redeployed to counter the push. “This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations,” Markov said, implying it could increase pressure on Kyiv to cede territory.
Trump, set to meet Putin on Friday, described the summit as a “feel-out meeting” to gauge the Russian leader’s ideas for ending the conflict. Unconfirmed reports indicate Putin has asked that Ukraine hand over portions of Donetsk still outside Russian control.
Moscow’s military, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, has steadily gained territory at high cost, claiming annexation of four regions while continuing operations to consolidate control. Ukrainian police said Russian attacks over the past day killed three people and injured 12, including a child.
