This week, heavy fighting raged in Russia’s Kursk as Russian forces were trying to eject Ukrainian troops from the western part of the region where Ukraine was holding a foothold. Ukraine has recently advanced near Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region. Its troops have started to win back small patches of land in eastern Donetsk region as the Russian offensive effort there has stalled in recent months and Russian brigades have been depleted, The New York Times said.
Ukraine continues to fire its home-made drones deep into Russia. On Monday, drones struck an oil refinery in the Samara region that produces fuel for Russian warplanes attacking Ukraine. Russia said Tuesday that its air defenses had shot down 337 Ukrainian drones overnight across 10 regions. The Ukrainian General Staff said the drones had successfully struck the Moscow oil refinery. Ukraine also hit a hidden drone manufacturing site inside Russia late on Wednesday.
A number of diplomatic developments marked the week. Ukrainian and U.S. officials met for talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire following the negotiations if Russia does so too. The U.S. has subsequently resumed security and intelligence aid to Ukraine. On Thursday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow for discussions on a proposed truce.
U.S. has “cautious optimism” on ceasefire deal after Trump envoy’s Moscow visit, U.S. national security adviser says. On Thursday night, Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz appeared on Fox News, claiming “we do have some cautious optimism” that a ceasefire was imminent. His comments came after the American president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Moscow seeking to negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin.
“I’m not going to announce or negotiate anything on national television, and certainly not ahead of the president,” Waltz said of the talks. He added: “The shuttle diplomacy is happening (…) special envoy Witkoff is out there and bringing things back for us to evaluate and for President Trump to make decisions on next steps.”
Yet by Friday morning, it was unclear whether Witkoff had actually met with Putin in Moscow, Politico said.
“We agree with the proposal to cease hostilities but we have to bear in mind that this ceasefire must be aimed at a long-lasting peace and it must look at the root causes of the crisis,” Putin said at a news conference Thursday. “The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi described Putin’s response to the plan as “manipulative.” “In practice, he’s preparing a rejection,” Zelenskyi said in his nightly address on Wednesday, adding that: “Putin, of course, is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, wants to kill Ukrainians.”