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By Shane Croucher and John Feng
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had visited his troops near Kupiansk on Friday after Kyiv's forces said they had recaptured several settlements nearby in the northeastern Kharkiv Oblast and encircled a Russian group, a rare battlefield gain as Moscow advances elsewhere.
It comes as Ukraine struggles to defend its remaining footholds in eastern cities such as Pokrovsk and Siversk, though it disputes the Kremlin's claims that Russian forces have taken full control of both. The Kremlin has said it will try to take the fifth of Donbas territory still controlled by Ukraine militarily unless Kyiv freely gives it up in a peace settlement.
Russia's slow battlefield advance threatens to further weaken Zelensky's position in peace negotiations and increase the pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who is brokering the process, to make a quick deal with tough compromises for Kyiv and its European partners.
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Ukraine's Zelensky: Russia War Wins Help Kyiv's Diplomacy
Zelensky, sharing a video on his Telegram, said in Ukrainian that "our warriors" are "achieving results for Ukraine here."
"Many Russians talked about Kupianskâwe can see it. I was there; I congratulated the guys. I thank every unit, everyone who is fighting here, everyone who is destroying the occupier," Zelensky said.
"Today it is extremely important to achieve results at the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. This is exactly how it works: all our strong positions inside the country are strong positions in the conversation about ending the war. Thank you to every warrior! I am proud of you!"
Trump Reviews Revised Ukraine Peace Proposals
The U.S. is reviewing a revised set of peace proposals sent over by Ukraine following Kyiv's consultations with its partners in the "Coalition of the Willing" and European leaders. The Kremlin said it has not yet seen the latest proposals and said it would likely have a problem with some of them.
Fresh talks between officials from the U.S, Ukraine, and European states are due in Paris at the weekend. But Trump has expressed frustration with repeated rounds of discussions, calling them a waste of time without action.
Trump earlier told Politico that Zelensky must start accepting proposals because Ukraine is losing the war and Russia is in a stronger position. He also urged Zelensky to hold elections. Zelensky has said he would hold elections, and potentially a referendum on territorial concessions, but would need U.S. and other Western support to guarantee their security.
Zelensky also linked a referendum to a ceasefire. But Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of a ceasefire, saying it did not want to give Kyiv time to regroup its forces.
The key obstacles to a peace deal are the division of territory, control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the future architecture of Ukrainian security.
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