Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces are attempting to intensify attacks on the front line, taking advantage of more favourable weather conditions. After a meeting with Ukraine’s army commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had inflicted heavy losses, with the only tangible outcome for Russia being an increase in its own casualties.
The Russian defence ministry earlier claimed its forces had captured the village of Potapivka in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, near the border. The claim could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian and US delegations concluded a second day of talks in Florida on Sunday, focused on finding a way to end the nearly four-year war with Russia. Russian representatives were not present, despite initial expectations that they would attend discussions originally planned for Abu Dhabi.
Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s negotiator, reported unspecified progress from the two days of talks. The discussions came after the United States relaxed sanctions on Russian oil.
Zelenskyy expressed hope that the US would maintain its efforts to end the Russian invasion, despite a shift in focus towards Iran. “It’s clear that the primary focus of the American side at this time is the situation around Iran and in that region, but this war that Russia is waging against Ukraine must also be brought to an end,” he said in an evening address.
The Ukrainian leader also voiced concern about the impact of the Middle East conflict on his country, saying he has a “very bad feeling” about its effect on efforts to end the war. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin would want a long war in the Middle East as it helps weaken Ukraine, and addressed the strain on US-UK relations amid the Iran conflict, stressing that the history between the two nations is “stronger than the emotions of two or three people”.
