Photo: kremlin.ru
Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has reported to Vladimir Putin that Russian forces have captured the towns of Huliaipole in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region and Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
According to independent news channel Faridaily, this marks the sixth time since October that Putin has claimed military gains in Ukraine, in what appears to be an attempt to strengthen Moscow’s negotiating position ahead of the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in Miami on Sunday.
Footage released by the Kremlin showed Putin, dressed in military fatigues, holding a meeting at a command post of Russia’s joint force groupings at an undisclosed location, where he was briefed by Gerasimov and other military commanders on the situation on the frontline.
In remarks published by the Kremlin, Putin said the pace of the offensive in eastern Ukraine had “effectively reduced to zero” Moscow’s interest in seeing Ukrainian troops withdraw from the Donetsk region, a key issue in Washington-led peace efforts involving Russia and Ukraine.
If Kyiv does not wish “to settle the matter peacefully”, Russia will achieve its objectives by force, Putin added.
Ukraine’s General Staff rejected Russia’s claims, saying the situation in Huliaipole and Myrnohrad remained “difficult” and that fighting was ongoing, accusing Moscow of spreading disinformation.
Zelensky, meanwhile, held a video call on Saturday with European leaders and senior officials on Saturday, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, during a visit to Canada.
“Strong positions are needed both at the front and in diplomacy to prevent Putin from manipulating and evading a real and just end to the war,” Zelensky wrote on X.
In an earlier post, Zelensky said Ukraine wanted peace, while Russia was showing a desire to continue the war. “If anyone — whether the US or Europe — is on Russia’s side, this means the war will continue. There are no other options here,” he added.
