The deputy head of the Russian Navy been killed in Russia's Kursk region, a Russian official confirmed on Thursday.
Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine, had been killed alongside 10 other servicemen in a Ukrainian attack on a command post, unofficial military Telegram channels reported earlier.
The news of the death comes after Ukraine summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any “delay or procrastination” in supplying the war-hit nation with weapons will only benefit Russia.
The US has blocked a number of planned shipments to Ukraine that included Patriot air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, warning that its own domestic stockpiles were running low but said that “robust” options for Kyiv were still lined up.
Ukraine has complained that this pause in military aid has allowed Russian forces to advance further inside Ukrainian territory.
Russian forces have penetrated up to 7km (4 miles) into the northern Sumy region from different directions along the border and the war's largest battle is being waged in Donetsk as Russia inches toward its stated goal of capturing all of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Key Points
- Putin and Trump to speak shortly
- Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says
- Ukraine summons top US diplomat over partial weapons suspension
- Pentagon downplays concerns on Trump halting critical aid to Ukraine
- Two children poisoned among five injured in Russian attack on Odesa
- Kremlin says US decision to halt some weapons will bring quicker end to war
Putin and Trump call comes after Russian call with Macron
15:34
,
Rachel Clun
Today’s expected call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump comes after the Russian president spoke with French president Emmanuel Macron earlier this week.
Tuesday’s “substantial” phone call, in which the pair discussed the Iran-Israel conflict and Ukraine, was the first discussion between Mr Macron and Putin since September 2022.
Mr Macron's office said the call lasted two hours and that the French leader had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict.
The French president’s office said: "the president emphasised France's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
In pictures: Putin tours exhibition ahead of Trump call
15:09
,
Rachel Clun
In pool photographs distributed by a Russian state agency, Vladimir Putin toured an exhibition of Russian Brands held by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives autonomous non-profit organisation in Moscow on Thursday.
Putin and Trump to speak shortly
14:43
,
Rachel Clun
Donald Trump will speak to the Russian president later today, the US president said.
“Will be speaking to President Putin of Russia at 10:00 A.M. Thank you!” he said.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin said he was going to speak to the US President later on Thursday.
The expected conversation will be the sixth publicly known talk between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January and comes amid so far unsuccessful US efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The two men last spoke on June 14, in a call mostly focused on Iran.
In pictures: Emergency services work after Russian attack on Poltava
14:22
,
Rachel Clun
Gudkov one of at least 11 senior Russian commanders killed since war with Ukraine began
13:57
,
Rachel Clun
The deputy head of Russia’s Navy, Major General Mikhail Gudkov, is the latest senior Russian commander to be killed by Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale war in 2022.
Four senior commanders - Andrei Sukhovetsky, Vladimir Frolov, Kanamat Botashev and Roman Kutuzov - were killed in the first few months of the war.
Two, Gergei Goryachev and Oleg Tsokov, were killed in separate Ukrainian missile strikes in Zaporizhzhia in 2023, while Vladimir Zavadsky was reportedly killed by a Russian landmine in the Kharkiv region that year. Another commander, Pavel Klimenko, was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in November 2023.
At least two commanders have also been killed in Ukrainian assassinations.
Igor Kirillov is one of the most prominent Russian commanders assassinated by Ukraine. He was killed at the age of 54 in a bomb blast outside his apartment building in Moscow in December 2024. Ukraine's SBU intelligence service confirmed it was behind the hit.
Yaroslav Moskalik was the next senior commander to be killed in a targeted attack on Russian soil. The 58-year-old deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces died after a car exploded in the town of Balashikha outside Moscow in April 2025.
Zelensky hails Denmark visit as 'an important step for our defence'
13:26
,
Rachel Clun
Volodymyr Zelensky is in Denmark today for meetings with the country’s prime minister and the European Commission president.
He said the visit “begins with an important step for our defence”.
“We have signed an agreement with the robust American company Swift Beat, and it foresees hundreds of thousands of drones this year alone, with the potential to significantly scale up production in the coming year,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
“Interceptors to destroy enemy drones and missiles, quadcopters for reconnaissance and fire adjustment, and long-range strike drones — all of these will be produced in much greater numbers to help us achieve our defence goals and protect the lives of Ukrainians.
Zelensky continued: “Today, we will continue our work in Denmark, and on new agreements of this kind — focused on joint production, joint development, and joint defence. I thank everyone who is helping!”
The visit to Denmark begins with an important step for our defense. An agreement has been reached on Ukrainian-American cooperation in drone production, including interceptor drones — a crystal clear priority.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 3, 2025
We have signed an agreement with the robust American company Swift… pic.twitter.com/2DMO4IuV6V
Jailed Russian dissidents call for mass prisoner release as part of a peace deal with Ukraine
13:03
,
Reuters
Eleven jailed Russian dissidents have written to world leaders appealing for a mass release of Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilians held by Russia - some 10,000 people in total, they say - as part of any peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
In the letter, published via Reuters, the dissidents said that alongside prisoners of war, thousands of Ukrainian civilian "hostages" were being held by Russia, mostly in Russian-held areas of Ukraine.
Talks in May and June on ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine made no progress towards a ceasefire, despite a pledge by US President Donald Trump to end the war, but the two sides have exchanged captured soldiers and war dead.
"We call on both sides of the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to immediately conduct an exchange of prisoners of war and civilians according to the formula 'all for all', including Ukrainian civilian hostages," the letter said.
Among the signatories was Alexei Gorinov, 63, who in 2022 became the first person to go to prison under laws passed shortly after the Ukraine invasion that made it a crime to spread "false information" about the armed forces.
The youngest to sign was Darya Kozyreva, 19, who was sentenced in April to two years and eight months in prison for using graffiti and 19th-century poetry to protest against the war in Ukraine.
EU allows more power imports from Ukraine
12:39
,
Rachel Clun
The European Union has increased the maximum capacity of electricity Ukraine can export to the bloc.
The 38.5 per cent increase in capacity for Ukrainian electricity exports to Europe will give Kyiv a chance to earn money to rebuild power facilities destroyed by Russian attacks, Ukraine's energy ministry said on Thursday.
The new limit of 900 megawatt hours will be in place until 1 August, and after that it will be reviewed on a monthly basis.
Ukraine started large power exports to the EU before Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. It stopped them after Russia damaged Ukrainian power generating facilities, before resuming them earlier this year.
"Increasing the maximum export capacity is an important step that will make it easier to balance the Ukrainian energy system," energy minister German Galushchenko said on Telegram.
He said it would also allow Ukrainian power plants to earn additional profit to tackle the consequences of Russian attacks and prepare for winter.
Trump and Zelensky will discuss US weapons delivery pause in call - reports
12:16
,
Rachel Clun, Reuters
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to discuss the recent US halt of some key weapons deliveries in a call on Friday, the Financial Times reports.
Zelensky would also raise potential future arms sales, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the planning.
Earlier, Pentagon officials tried to downplay concerns over the halted shipments, saying “robust” options for Ukraine were still lined up.
“The department of defence continues to provide the president with robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said at a news briefing.
Ukraine summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any “delay or procrastination” in supplying the war-hit nation with weapons will only benefit Russia.
Russian military confirms death of Navy deputy head
11:50
,
Rachel Clun, Reuters
The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy head of the Russian Navy, was killed in the border area of Russia's Kursk region, the state TASS news agency reported.
Earlier, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of a far eastern Russian region, said that Gudkov, who once led a brigade fighting against Ukrainian forces in Kursk, had been killed.
Zelensky arrives in Denmark for talks with EU leaders
11:26
,
Rachel Clun, AP
Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Denmark for talks with the country’s prime minister and EU leader on Thursday.
The Ukrainian President travelled to Aarhus as Denmark begins its European Union presidency, the Danish prime minister’s office said.
He will meet with Danish prime minister Mette Fredericksen and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, both staunch backers of Ukraine.
"Ukraine belongs in the EU. It is in the interest of both Denmark and Europe. Therefore, the Danish Presidency will do everything we can to help Ukraine on its path towards EU membership," Frederiksen said in a statement.
Ukraine's EU membership path is being blocked by Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orban insists that Ukraine should remain a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries.
During his visit to Denmark, Zelenskyy is also expected to discuss cooperation in the defence industry and new sanctions against Russia. He is also likely to have an audience with King Frederik X of Denmark.
Gudkov one of the most senior Russian leaders killed in Ukraine war
11:00
,
Rachel Clun
Major General Mikhail Gudkov is one of the most senior Russian officers to have been killed by Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
Regional governor Oleg Kozhemyako, who said he had spoken to Gudkov a lot over the years, said in a statement that Gudkov had been killed "carrying out his duty as an officer" along with others, and expressed his condolences to the dead men's relatives.
"When he became Deputy Chief of the Navy, he did not stop personally visiting the positions of our marines," Kozhemyako said on Telegram.
Gudkov had been appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy in March by Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to a statement on the Kremlin’s website.
He had received awards for bravery in military action against Ukraine and had been accused by Kyiv of war crimes.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defence Ministry or from Ukraine.
Gudkov had led a Marine Brigade of Russia's Pacific Fleet, which had been fighting in Kursk.
Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says
10:35
,
Rachel Clun
The deputy head of the Russian Navy who also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine has been killed in Russia's Kursk region, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of a far eastern Russian region said on Thursday.
Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels had earlier reported that Major General Mikhail Gudkov had been killed along with 10 other servicemen in a Ukrainian attack on a command post in Korenevo in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
Ukrainian drone attack kills one in Russia's Lipetsk, regional governor says
10:04
,
Reuters
A woman in her 70s was killed, and two other people injured, by falling debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone in Russia's southwestern region of Lipetsk, regional governor Igor Artamonov said early on Thursday.
The debris fell on a residential building in the district surrounding the regional capital, killing the woman and injuring two more, Artamonov said on the Telegram messaging app.
Artamonov said in another post that an apartment building under construction in the city of Yelets in the Lipetsk region was damaged as result of an attack and that a small fire broke out at a nearby parking lot.
The full damage were not immediately known. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the attack.
In pictures: Aftermath of deadly Russian strike on Poltava
09:38
,
Rachel Clun
Russian attack on Poltava kills two, injures 11
09:11
,
Rachel Clun
A Russian attack on a Ukrainian city has killed two people and wounded 11 others.
The attack on Poltava in central Ukraine also damaged a military recruitment centre, Ukrainian land forces said on Thursday.
The attack caused fires in the military recruitment building and in the nearby residential building, it said in a statement.
Regional governor Volodymyr Kohut said civilian infrastructure was also damaged in the attack.
In pictures: Aftermath of a Russian drone attack in Odesa
08:45
,
Rachel Clun
Trump's move to halt weapons to Kyiv criticised in Washington: 'Unacceptable'
08:23
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump’s decision to halt critical weapons shipment to Ukraine has been met with some pushback from Republican and Democratic boosters on Capitol Hill, as his lawmakers called on him to help Kyiv defend against “brutal invading dictator”.
In a letter to Mr Trump yesterday, Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa, requested a briefing from the White House and the Pentagon to explain the pause.
Mr Fitzpatrick is a co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. "We must build up our own defense industrial base here in the US while simultaneously providing the needed assistance to our allies who are defending their freedom from a brutal invading dictator," the Pennsylvania representative said in a post on X. "To not do both is unacceptable."
Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur, another co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus, blasted the move that came just days after Russians forces launched one of the biggest air assaults on Ukraine since it launched the war more than three years ago.
"US made air defence systems, including the Patriot platform, are the centerpiece of Ukraine's defences against Russian strikes. They work. They save lives every day," the Ohio Democrat said.
"But there are no parallel defensive alternatives for Ukraine if the US stops supplying these vital munitions."
A look at Russia's advances in Ukraine's east as fighting picks up
08:21
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November.
Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts.
"The Russian advance is being contained, but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces.
Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar, or along the western Pokrovsk front. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said.
DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine.
Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs, despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective.
"(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said.
EU presses China on rare earths and Ukraine war
08:08
,
Arpan Rai
The European Union's top diplomat urged China's foreign minister on Wednesday to end restrictions on rare earths exports and warned that Chinese firms' support for Russia's war in Ukraine posed a serious threat to European security, the EU said.
The statement from the EU's diplomatic service came after Kaja Kallas, the bloc's high representative for foreign policy, met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Brussels.
Ms Kallas "called on China to put an end to its distortive practices, including its restrictions on rare earth exports, which pose significant risks to European companies and endanger the reliability of global supply chains", the EU said.
She also "highlighted the serious threat Chinese companies' support for Russia’s illegal war poses to European security".
The top EU official called on China "to immediately cease all material support that sustains Russia’s military industrial complex" and support "a full and unconditional ceasefire" and a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine".
China says it does not provide military support to Russia for the war in Ukraine. But European officials say Chinese companies provide many of the vital components for Russian drones and other weapons used in Ukraine.
Kyiv summons top US diplomat over partial weapons suspension
07:45
,
Arpan Rai
Ukraine has summoned the acting US envoy to Kyiv to warn the Trump administration that any “delay or procrastination” in supplying the war-hit nation with weapons will only benefit Russia.
The US has blocked a number of planned shipments to Ukraine that included Patriot air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, Hellfire missiles and Howitzer rounds, warning that its own domestic stockpiles were running low.
In a statement, it said deputy foreign minister Mariana Betsa expressed gratitude to deputy chief of mission John Ginkel for US support, but warned that a cut-off in aid, particularly air-defence systems, would embolden Russia.
"The Ukrainian side emphasised that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defence capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace," it said.
Pentagon downplays concerns on Trump administration halting critical aid to Ukraine
07:26
,
Arpan Rai
Officials at the Pentagon have attempted to minimise concerns around the White House announcement on halting aid shipments for Ukraine, saying that “robust” options were still lined up.
“The department of defence continues to provide the president with robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said at a news briefing.
"I think that for a long time, four years under the Biden administration, we were giving away weapons and munitions without really thinking about how many we have," Mr Parnell said.
He added: "And I think that this president was elected on putting this country first and defending the homeland."
“The department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach towards achieving this objective while also preserving US military readiness and defence priorities,” he said.
Additionally, remarks from the US state department were also aimed at alleviating the concerns that a slowdown in US military aid is a “one event”.
”...this is not a cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons. This is one event, and one situation, and we’ll discuss what else comes up in the future,” said spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Trump's move to halt weapons to Kyiv criticised in Washington: 'Unacceptable'
07:17
,
Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump’s decision to halt critical weapons shipment to Ukraine has been met with some pushback from Republican and Democratic boosters on Capitol Hill, as his lawmakers called on him to help Kyiv defend against “brutal invading dictator”.
In a letter to Mr Trump yesterday, Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa, requested a briefing from the White House and the Pentagon to explain the pause.
Mr Fitzpatrick is a co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. "We must build up our own defense industrial base here in the US while simultaneously providing the needed assistance to our allies who are defending their freedom from a brutal invading dictator," the Pennsylvania representative said in a post on X. "To not do both is unacceptable."
Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur, another co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus, blasted the move that came just days after Russians forces launched one of the biggest air assaults on Ukraine since it launched the war more than three years ago.
"US made air defence systems, including the Patriot platform, are the centerpiece of Ukraine's defences against Russian strikes. They work. They save lives every day," the Ohio Democrat said.
"But there are no parallel defensive alternatives for Ukraine if the US stops supplying these vital munitions."
Watch: Ukraine destroys 'North Korean multiple launch rocket system'
07:04
,
Arpan Rai
Two children poisoned as five injured in Russia's air attack on Odesa
06:33
,
Arpan Rai
At least five people were injured, including a seven-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl, in a Russian attack on the southern Ukraine port of Odesa overnight, Ukrainian authorities said this morning.
A multi-storey residential building and other civilian infrastructure were damaged, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. The attack completely destroyed six apartments and another 36 were partially damaged, he said.
"The children, who were poisoned by combustion products, were hospitalised," Mr Kiper said. The other three injured people, all adults, received medical aid on the site.
The full scale of the attack was not immediately known.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine posted on its Facebook page photos showing rescuers carrying children in the dark out of a multi-storey apartment building on fire and firefighters fighting the blaze.
The Service said that 50 people were evacuated from the building. The fire has been extinguished since, Mr Kiper said.
A look at Russia's advances in Ukraine's east as fighting picks up
06:24
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source data to map the frontline, said the Russian military in June had seized 556 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, which it said was the largest monthly loss of ground since November.
Russian forces, which have numerical superiority, cut the main road linking Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in May, complicating Ukrainian movements and resupply efforts.
"The Russian advance is being contained, but their crossing of the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway is a strategic and logistical setback," said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces.
Heavy Russian losses have prevented Russian advances toward Kostiantynivka via Chasiv Yar, or along the western Pokrovsk front. "Now they are attempting (to advance) further away from populated areas," Trehubov said.
DeepState also reported that Russian advances in June near Pokrovsk and nearby Novopavlivka accounted for more than half of all Russian gains along the entire frontline in all of Ukraine.
Trehubov said Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka remain Ukrainian logistical hubs, despite setbacks and drone activity which make some defensive fortifications less effective.
"(Drones) hinder logistics for both sides but don't make it impossible. Drones after all are not invulnerable," he said.
Which other countries are arming Ukraine, other than the US?
06:08
,
Arpan Rai
In a blow to Ukraine’s war efforts, the Pentagon is pausing shipments of weapons to the country again after more than three years of deliveries meant to bolster the country's defences against invading Russian forces.
The Trump administration's decision comes as Ukraine is facing intensified attacks by Russia against its civilians, and withholding that assistance could reduce Kyiv's ability to counter deadly incoming ballistic missile attacks.
The US is Ukraine’s largest military aid supplier, providing 64.5 per cent of the support it has received so far.
With a handful of weapons transfers being halted by Washington, which countries are Ukraine’s next largest supporters?
Following the US is the UK at 14.5 per cent, then Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and a host of further European countries.
The UK has committed to spending £18 billion on Ukraine, including £13bn on military support and £5bn on non-military.
The EU, meanwhile, has provided huge tranches of humanitarian and financial support, but as an economic bloc it does not provide direct military support.
Ukraine has been supplied with British Storm Shadow missiles, F-16 fighter jets built in the US, Leopard 2 tanks from Germany - despite years of hesitation from Berlin - British challenger tanks, and Polish drones.
Hit by aid cut, Ukraine struggles to contain Russia's advance
06:05
,
Arpan Rai
Russia has made incursions near two towns key to army supply routes in eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said yesterday.
The advances of Russian forces on the frontline are matched by an intensification of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other cities, following signs that Washington's support for Ukraine's war effort is faltering.
"There are constant attacks with the intent of breaking through" to the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region at any cost, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces.
Russia now has 111,000 soldiers in Ukraine’s Pokrovsk area, which it has been trying to seize since early last year, Ukraine's top armed forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said last week, describing dozens of battles in the area every day.
A decision by Washington to halt some deliveries of various weapons including precision rocket artillery to Kyiv will worsen the situation on the ground for Ukraine's forces, said Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank.
"The loss of these supplies will significantly degrade Ukraine's ability to strike Russian forces beyond 30km (19 miles) from the front line and therefore allow Russia to improve its logistics," Mr Watling said.
North Korea set to send up to 30,000 troops to fight against Ukraine, Kyiv claims
05:56
,
Arpan Rai
North Korea is set to send up to 30,000 additional troops to support Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, an intelligence assessment by Kyiv has claimed.
The troops could arrive in the coming months, CNN reported after seeing the assessment. It would be an addition to the roughly 12,000 sent in November who helped Russia push Ukrainian forces out of its Kursk region.
“There is a great possibility” the troops would fight in parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine, the report states. This would be an escalation after Pyongyang’s troops were previously restricted to fighting on Russian territory.
North Korean troops will be used “to strengthen the Russian contingent, including during the large-scale offensive operations”, the document adds. Moscow, it says, is capable of providing the necessary equipment and weaponry for the extra troops.
Only in late April 2025 did Vladimir Putin publicly admit North Korean troops had been deployed to fight alongside Russian forces.
US halt to military aid will only 'encourage the aggressor', says Kyiv
05:48
,
Arpan Rai
The Ukrainian foreign and defence ministries have responded to the news that the US is set to halt some military aid to Kyiv.
Shipments of air defence missiles and other munitions have been halted due to concerns over the US’ own stockpiles at home.
Here is how the Ukrainian government has responded:
The Ukrainian side emphasised that any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace.
Ukraine foreign ministry
The Ukrainian side has taken note of reports concerning delays in the delivery of certain elements of previously allocated US defence aid packages and is clarifying the current factual circumstances of these deliveries.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has requested a phone call with US counterparts to further clarify the details.
Ukraine defence ministry
Ukraine faces relentless assaults in Sumy
05:47
,
Arpan Rai
Ukrainian forces face a constant barrage of aerial glide bombs, drones and relentless assaults by small groups of Russian infantrymen in the Sumy region.
They endure the attacks to prevent Russian forces from being moved to other battlegrounds in the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukrainian forces intensified their own attacks in Sumy in April and even conducted a small offensive into Russia's neighboring Kursk region to prevent up to 60,000 battle-hardened Russian forces from being moved to reinforce positions in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Ukraine's top army commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said last week.
If those troops had been moved, they could have increased the tempo of Russian attacks across the front line and stretched Ukrainian forces thin.
The strategy did not come without criticism. Commanders who were ordered to execute it complained that it resulted in unnecessary loss of life.
Russian forces have penetrated up to 7 kilometers (4 miles) into the northern Sumy region from different directions along the border.
Ukrainian forces are determined to keep them there to avoid freeing up Russian forces to fight in the east. So far they have succeeded, locking up to 10,000 Russian troops in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region alone, where Ukraine maintains a small presence after being mostly forced out by Russian and North Korean troops earlier in the year.
What did Putin and Macron discuss in their first exchange since September 2022?
