Moscow said it captured territory shortly before potential peace talks begin in Saudi Arabia.
Published On 9 Mar 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country is “fully committed” to having constructive talks with United States representatives in Saudi Arabia, as Russia announced new gains both inside Ukrainian and Russian territory.
US and Ukrainian negotiators are set to meet 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 in the three-year conflict.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said in a briefing on Monday that its forces had taken the small village of Novenke in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
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. Ukraine 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.
The ministry also announced the recapture of the villages of Lebedevka, Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa in its western Kursk region. Ukraine hoped that Russian territory it controls in Kursk would give it leverage during any talks but it has been losing ground there rapidly over recent days to Russian assaults.
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