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RUSSIAN forces have launched a last-minute ground attack to grab as much Ukrainian territory as possible ahead of the peace talks with Donald Trump.
The lightning speed offensive saw Russian troops breaching through defence lines in eastern Ukraine in a dramatic two-pronged attack.
And it could give Putin an upper hand when he meets the US President for the historic peace summit on Friday.
Top diplomats from the US and Russia are currently working on an agreement to finalise post-war territories, senior officials told Bloomberg.
But in the last few days, Russian sabotage and reconnaissance units pushed some six to 15 miles deep into Ukrainian territory near the town of Dobropillia in Donetsk.
The catastrophic breakthrough is set to help Moscow, which currently controls over 70 per cent of the highly-contested Donetsk region.
Russian forces surged towards three villages on a section of the frontline near Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
The location of the land grab near Dobropillia is of immense strategic importance to both Moscow and Kyiv.
If the Russian forces can defend the captured land and establish a secure foothold, they would be able to cut the city of Kramatorsk off from the Donbas region.
Kramatorsk is the most important fortress city in Donbas that is still under Kyiv’s control.
And if it falls, it will hand Putin almost the entirety of the Donbas – a region comprising Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland that Putin has long coveted.
Ukraine has publicly denied any breakthrough by Russian forces.
Victor Tregubov, a spokesman for the Dnipro group of forces: “A number of small Russian groups are constantly putting pressure on Ukrainian positions and attempting to bypass the first line of defence.
“It is important to understand that this does not mean Russian forces have taken control of the territory. It means a small group, five to 10 people, has infiltrated the area. And that looks very different from how it appears on the map.”
Last night, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30 per cent of the Donetsk region that it controls as part of a ceasefire deal.
That’s almost 3,500 square miles of land still under Kyiv’s control.
Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would not withdraw from territories it controls, saying that would be unconstitutional and would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.
Ukraine’s DeepState authority said: “The situation is quite chaotic, as the enemy, having found gaps in the defence, is infiltrating deeper, trying to quickly consolidate and accumulate forces for further advancement.”
The latest land grab would most certainly put Moscow in a position to bargain for a better deal – and even ask for more Ukrainian territory.
Trump said on August 8 that he hopes to hold a meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15.
It comes as the US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers have been deployed in Europe in a massive show of force.
While in the theatre, the bombers along with their crew will conduct exercises with the US allies.
One defence force told the UK Defence Journal: “It’s about demonstrating that the United States can project heavy bomber capability deep into Europe.
“The message is deterrence, making sure Moscow understands that NATO can strike hard and fast if necessary.”
Washington and Moscow are said to be eyeing a deal to put an end to the bloody conflict in Ukraine – but it may not be all good news for Kyiv.
Trump told reporters in The White House that Zelensky is “going to have to get ready to sign something” in order to bring peace to his nation.
Sources said Trump’s team is trying to get Ukraine and its European allies on board to get a peace deal that would see Kyiv make some concessions.
One major sticking point for Moscow is the annexation of Ukrainian territory – one of Putin’s long-term demands.
Why is meeting being held in Alaska?
Russia expert Colonel Hamish de-Bretton Gordon said there are a few other reasons Putin is likely chuffed with Alaska as the meeting point.
He said: “President Putin is absolutely fixated about his own security, and his desire not to wander out of friendly airspace.
“There’s not much of that to Alaska – would only be in international airspace for a few miles.”
It also means Russian power is making a return to the territory once owned by the Tsardom of Russia.
Putin’s distant predecessor Tsar Alexander II sold it to America in 1867 for $7.2 million — or two cents per acre.
And the Great State of Alaska is also a very long way away from Europe, and all the pesky diplomats who have got under Putin’s skin.
The choice of location for meetings between rival superpowers carries enormous significance.
Many times, the charged encounters have been backdropped by Washington or Moscow – as well as Geneva, Vienna and even a Soviet cruise ship.
But Alaskan officials are delighted that their icy land will for the first time host a superpower summit.
Its geographical location automatically makes it a logical option, placed as it is directly between the US and the expanse of eastern Russia.
You can even see Russian territory while standing on Alaskan soil – if you stand on the island of Little Diomede and look out to Big Diomede.
Zelensky has been adamant that Ukraine will not accept any further annexation of its land.
Although he suggested Russia could be allowed to retain the land it has taken – which means the current frontlines could be frozen as they are.
Trump announced on Friday that the only way to resolve the issues is for both sides to accept losses of land.
He said: “It’s complicated, actually. Nothing is easy. It’s very complicated.
“We’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
The MAGA prez said he would try to return territory to Ukraine.
Don added: “Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory.
“We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”
Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his invasion were “unchanged”.
Europe stands together
Kyiv risks being presented with a take-it-or-leave-it offer during the high-stakes meeting.
Zelensky told European leaders they must reject any settlement proposals by the US that demand Ukraine give up further land.
Ukraine’s boss today arrived in Berlin to hold urgent talks with his allies – who are all hoping to convince Trump to respect Kyiv’s interests in his looming summit with Putin.
He is set to meet Merz, who has also invited French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders, as well as the heads of the EU and Nato, to one conference call.
They are to hold a second call an hour later with Trump and Vice President JD Vance before Merz and Zelensky give press statements.
Ahead of the conference call, Zelensky, who spoke with more than 30 international leaders in a few days, said “pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a fair peace”.
“We must learn from the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception on the part of Russia. There are currently no signs that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” he said in a social media statement.
EU leaders stressed on Tuesday “the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny” and that “international borders must not be changed by force”.
Slave to one’s habits
Zelensky has warned that Putin has no intention of seeking peace.
He claimed Putin would try to fool Trump and continue waging his bloody war against Ukraine.
The embattled president said: “[Putin] is definitely not preparing for a ceasefire or an end to the war.
“He is determined only to present a meeting with America as his personal victory and then continue acting exactly as before.
“The Russians simply want to buy time, not end the war.”
Zelensky said that Putin was redeploying troops and forces “in ways that suggest preparations for new offensive operations.
“If someone is preparing for peace, this is not what he does.”
Ukrainian intelligence indicated that North Korea recently deployed 11,000 soldiers to Russia to facilitate Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.
Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Deputy Chief Major General Vadym Skibitskyi revealed yesterday that there are roughly 11,000 North Korean troops training in western Russia.
It comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call to discuss their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine
Igor Novikov, Zelensky’s ex-adviser, spoke to The Sun about the Putin and Trump meeting on US soil.
He said: “Trump understands that he needs to put enough sanction pressure and military pressure on Russia for them to consider ending this war.
“But at the same time, Putin tries to manipulate and charm him, massage his ego into a position where Russia wins time and the US moves further away from helping Ukraine.
“Whatever they decide upon. It won’t be taken for granted by the Ukrainian people.”
