Moscow says it has made new gains in Ukraine’s Sumy region and Russia’s Kursk region as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “fully committed” to having a constructive dialogue with United States representatives ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia to discuss how to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
US and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet for talks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump’s administration vying to secure a ceasefire and a “framework” for a peace agreement.
Despite the upcoming talks, the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a briefing that its forces had “liberated” the small village of Novenke in Sumy near the border with Kursk. Moscow also announced the recapture of the villages of Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa in Kursk.
Russia briefly occupied parts of Ukraine’s Sumy at the start of its all-out invasion in 2022 but has not taken any territory there since.
Kyiv has not yet commented on Russia’s claim to have captured Novenke, which analysts say could bring Russian troops closer to blocking a major Ukrainian supply route.
Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Sunday: “I want to thank all our units who are steadfastly and against all odds destroying the occupier, repelling attacks and defending our positions.
“Diplomacy will be strong only on strong front-line positions. And we are doing our best to ensure that Ukraine’s front-line needs are met.” He said.