Russian forces drove deeper into eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, pressing toward the coal-mining town of Dobropillia in one of their most significant advances this year, just days before Russian President Vladimir Putin meets U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska.
The offensive has sharpened fears in Kyiv and across Europe that the summit could pave the way for a peace deal forcing Ukraine to surrender occupied land.
Ukraine’s military said reserve units were deployed to blunt the advance in Donetsk, describing “difficult combat” against Russian troops. The push forms part of Putin’s campaign to seize the entire region, two and a half years after launching a full-scale invasion.
Trump has hinted that any peace arrangement might involve “swapping territories to the betterment of both” countries – a notion viewed in Kyiv as one-sided, since all contested land lies within Ukraine’s borders. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, backed by European Union leaders, insists no deal can bypass Ukraine’s participation and must uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Putin-Trump meeting, set for Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, will be their first in-person talks since 2021. The White House has downplayed hopes for a breakthrough, casting it as a “listening exercise.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump wanted to “size up” Putin in person before weighing next steps.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy and EU leaders will hold a virtual session with Trump to stress that “talks about us without us will not work.” Zelenskyy warned he would reject any proposal demanding Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas or dismantle its defenses before a ceasefire is secured.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Putin had requested the bilateral format, and Trump agreed to “better understand how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.” She added Trump was open to a future three-way meeting with Zelenskyy.
Meanwhile, former Kremlin adviser Sergei Markov called the Russian advance “a gift” to Putin and Trump, potentially strengthening Moscow’s hand in negotiations. Despite shortages, Ukraine scored modest gains this week, recapturing two villages in Sumy – a rare reversal after more than a year of incremental Russian gains.
Moscow’s push into Sumy follows Putin’s call for a “buffer zone” along the border. European leaders worry Trump – eager to claim a peace deal and revive trade with Russia – may grant Putin concessions that reward years of aggression.
“Ukraine cannot lose this war, and nobody has the right to pressure Ukraine into concessions that smell of capitulation,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told his cabinet, vowing to press Trump to accept Europe’s stance.
Most EU leaders back Zelenskyy’s position, with Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Putin’s closest ally in Europe, the lone holdout. Orban claimed Ukraine had already lost, declaring, “Russia has won this war,” in a recent interview.
Trump has toughened his rhetoric toward Moscow in recent weeks, agreeing to send more weapons to Ukraine and threatening steep tariffs on buyers of Russian oil – an ultimatum that has since lapsed. Whether that harder line holds in Alaska remains uncertain.
