 "Russia retakes villages in Kursk as Zelenskyy seeks talks with US amid war escalation")
Russia claimed Saturday that its soldiers have retaken three villages captured by Ukraine in its Kursk border area, dealing a further defeat to Kyiv ahead of negotiations to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that a high-level team, including ministers, will meet with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to try to mend ties with President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps”, Zelenskyy said, stressing that Ukraine was “fully committed to constructive dialogue”.
But he condemned “brutal” deadly strikes on eastern Ukraine, saying they proved that Russia was “not thinking about how to end the war”.
On Friday, Trump threatened Russia with fresh penalties and tariffs for its assault of Ukraine.
The three-year-old battle is now at a critical crossroads for Kyiv, with Trump suspending US military supplies following his public spat with Zelenskyy last week.
Ukraine still controls around 400 square kilometres (150 square miles) of the Kursk area after commencing an operation in August. Zelenskyy views this as a potential negotiating chip in peace talks.
However, Ukraine’s troops in Kursk have seen their situation deteriorate in recent weeks as Russian forces pushed back.
Russian claims gains
Russia’s defence ministry on Saturday announced the recapture of three more villages: Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAccording to DeepState, an online military tracker linked to the Ukrainian army, the Russian move followed a “breach” in the Ukrainian defence lines near the town of Sudzha, which is under Kyiv’s control.
The advance appears to have cut off the logistics route needed by Ukraine to supply its troops, although Kyiv has not confirmed this.
Russia has already taken back more than two-thirds of the territory Ukraine initially seized in Kursk.
The Ukrainian military General Staff said Saturday that clashes were ongoing amid heavy bombardment with artillery and guided aerial bombs.
Small groups of Russian troops have also mounted attacks in recent weeks into Ukraine’s Sumy region bordering Kursk.
Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation on Saturday denied reports of a “massive breakthrough”, saying its forces were destroying small groups trying to cross.
Saudi talks
Full peace negotiations remain a distant prospect, with Kyiv and Moscow making starkly opposed demands. Trump has made settling the conflict a priority since his return to the White House.
But by reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticising Zelenskyy, he has raised fears in Kyiv – and among its European allies – that Trump may try to force Ukraine to accept a settlement that favours Russia.
Senior US and Ukrainian officials are set to meet for talks on the war in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Zelenskyy will also visit Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday that Washington wanted to discuss an “initial ceasefire” with Russia and a “framework” for a longer agreement.
Zelenskyy said Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov would be among those representing Ukraine.
In his evening address, he told Ukrainians he was “confident that the meeting will be productive”.
Zelenskyy also urged allies to “increase sanctions against Russia” after heavy overnight bombardment in the east and northeast.
A Russian barrage hit the centre of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region late Friday, killing 11 people and wounding 40, said the emergency services.
“Russia is proving literally every day with its cruelty that nothing has changed for them,” Zelenskyy said.
Moscow wanted to “destroy and capture more as long as the world allows them to wage this war”, he said.
On Saturday, a strike on the embattled city of Pokrovsk killed a man in his 40s and wounded two others, Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Four people were killed Saturday by drone attacks in the eastern Kharkiv region, the head of its military administration, Oleg Synegubov, said.
A drone attack also killed a 74-year-old man in the southern Kherson region, the governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
‘More bombs’
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, reacting Saturday to the latest deadly attacks on Ukraine, wrote on X: “Once again, Putin shows he has no interest in peace.
“This is what happens when someone appeases barbarians,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X. “More bombs, more aggression, more victims.”
France’s Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the La Tribune newspaper Saturday that Paris would use 195 million euros of frozen Russian assets to fund more military aid for Ukraine.
The money would, among other things, pay for the delivery of armaments used by the Mirage 2000 fighter jets France delivered to Ukraine in February, he added.
In Dobropillia, AFP saw charred residential buildings, flattened market stalls and evidence of cluster bomb damage.
Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour “lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket”.
“It was shocking, I don’t have the words to describe it,” Kostenko told AFP.
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