Russian forces pushed deeper into eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, intensifying fighting near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia just days before U.S. President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The advance has heightened fears in Kyiv and across Europe that the summit could result in peace terms forcing Ukraine to cede occupied territory.
The incursion, one of the largest this year, is part of Moscow’s campaign to take full control of the Donetsk region. Ukraine’s military said it had deployed reserves to the front lines, describing “difficult combat” against Russian troops.
Despite shortages, Ukrainian forces reported recapturing two villages in the northeastern Sumy region on Monday, where Russia has been pressing a new offensive.
The Trump–Putin meeting on Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base will be the first U.S.–Russia summit since 2021. The White House has called it a “listening exercise,” with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Trump wants to “size up” Putin face-to-face.
However, Trump’s earlier comments suggesting a “swap of territories” to benefit both countries have alarmed Kyiv and EU leaders, who stress that all contested areas are inside Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and most European leaders insist any settlement must uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law. “Substantive and productive talks about us without us will not work,” Zelenskyy told U.S. media on Tuesday.
He and EU leaders plan to hold a virtual meeting with Trump on Wednesday to press their case before the Alaska summit.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that “Ukraine cannot lose this war,” rejecting any pressure for concessions that “smack of capitulation.” The EU issued a joint statement backing Kyiv’s position, with Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Putin’s closest ally in Europe, the lone holdout, claiming Russia had already won.
Analysts say Russia’s battlefield gains could bolster Putin’s leverage. Former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov described the advance as “a gift” ahead of the talks.
Western officials fear Trump, eager to broker a deal and boost U.S.–Russia trade, could be tempted to grant Moscow lasting territorial rewards for its nearly 11-year campaign to seize Ukrainian land.
Written By Rodney Mbua
