Russian troops have pushed about 11 kilometres past Ukrainian lines near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region, cutting a key road toward Kramatorsk and forcing Kyiv to rush reserves to the front. Ukrainian officials say the thrust, one of Moscow’s deepest of the year, is being carried out by small infiltration groups trying to consolidate ground before larger formations arrive. The battlefield shift comes days before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage on Friday—the first U.S.–Russia summit since 2021. Analysts and a former Kremlin adviser say the advance could give Putin additional leverage at the negotiating table, where Trump has floated the idea of limited land swaps to end the three-year-old war. Kyiv reported limited successes elsewhere, announcing the recapture of two villages in the northeastern Sumy region earlier this week. The gains underline the fluid nature of the front, but Ukrainian commanders warn that manpower shortages make holding newly won positions increasingly difficult. European leaders, concerned that Ukraine is not invited to the Alaska talks, plan to press Trump in a virtual meeting on Wednesday to ensure any deal respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Ukraine cannot be forced into concessions,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, while Hungary’s Viktor Orban claimed Russia had effectively won the war. The White House has sought to temper expectations, describing the summit as a “listening exercise.”