Russian forces have punched into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, infiltrating defences near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia and edging closer to the strategic hub of Pokrovsk. Kyiv said more than 110,000 Russian troops are now concentrated on that axis, describing the situation as “difficult and dynamic” and sending reserve units to seal gaps created by small Russian assault groups. While Moscow seeks to widen its foothold in Donetsk, Ukraine’s military reported limited success elsewhere, announcing the recapture of two villages in the northern Sumy region along the Russian border. The gains, though modest, mark one of the few recent Ukrainian advances after months of attritional fighting. The battlefield manoeuvres are intensifying political stakes ahead of Friday’s meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage—the first U.S.–Russia summit since 2021. European leaders worry the bilateral talks could produce a cease-fire blueprint that excludes Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not withdraw from the roughly 30 per cent of Donetsk—about 9,000 square kilometres—still under its control, insisting territorial questions be discussed only after a formal cease-fire and binding security guarantees. He warned that any settlement imposed without Ukraine’s participation would undermine international law and invite further aggression.