Russia has shown no signs of pulling back in its war against Ukraine. Instead, it has intensified its long-range strikes on Ukrainian cities and attacks across the front line. It has also adopted new tactics, military experts say, in the use of drones and small units.
In the midst of all the fighting, on Friday, President Trump said he would meet next week with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Alaska to try to end the war. He suggested that a peace deal between the two countries could include “some swapping of territories,” signaling that the United States may join Russia in trying to compel Ukraine to permanently cede some of its land.
But even as the Kremlin seeks to use negotiations to lay claim to land it has been unable to win on the battlefield, Russian forces are still trying to push ahead on the ground.
Moscow is betting that, no matter the diplomatic wrangling, it can eventually come out on top in a long war of attrition in which it has both numeric and military superiority.
Russia has been unable to turn small gains on the battlefield into strategic breakthroughs, although it has suffered staggering human losses. For more than a year, its troops have concentrated on Pokrovsk, in eastern Ukraine, with relentless attacks from a large force that has been getting closer.
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