Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit

Train station, church and other buildings destroyed in Russian strikes on Kostyantynivka, Ukraine. — A train station, church and other buildings destroyed in Russian strikes on Kostyantynivka, Ukraine

(Image credit: Pierre Crom / Getty Images)

What happened

Russian forces broke through Ukrainian defenses and advanced several miles near the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk Tuesday, an unexpected incursion widely seen as part of President Vladimir Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position ahead of his summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. The White House Tuesday sought to temper expectations for the summit, calling it a "listening exercise for the president."

Who said what

Trump "is agreeing to this meeting" at Putin's request, with a goal to "walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. When Trump announced the summit last week, the BBC said, he "sounded positive that the meeting could result in concrete steps toward peace." His "initially higher expectations" appeared to be "based in part on a misunderstanding from a meeting between his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Putin in Moscow last week on the terms Russia might accept," The Washington Post said.

The lowering of expectations is "good news," a senior European diplomat told the Post. Ukraine and its European allies "fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and seal new business deals" with Russia, might end up rewarding Putin for "11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory," Reuters said. Trump said in recent days that a peace deal would involve "some land swapping."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters Tuesday it was "clear to us" that Putin's goal with the new offensive was to convince Trump that "Russia is moving forward, advancing, while Ukraine is losing." He reiterated that giving up Ukrainian territory was not on the table.

What next?

Zelenskyy was scheduled to participate in a video conference today with Trump and the leaders of Germany, France, Britain, Finland, Italy, Poland and NATO. All sides, the BBC said, "will try to convince Trump of the need not to be swayed by Putin when the two meet at the hastily organized summit" at a U.S. military base in Anchorage.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.