Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is trying to manipulate the efforts of new US President Donald Trump to find a peaceful solution to the almost three-year-old war pitting Kiev against Moscow, Reuters and Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
Zelensky pointed out that the head of foreign intelligence had reported at a meeting of the Ukrainian command about "Russian military potential and Putin's readiness to continue the war and manipulate world leaders".
"Specifically, he is trying to manipulate the US president's desire to achieve peace," the Ukrainian leader said in his evening video address. "I am convinced that no more Russian manipulations will be crowned with success."
Russian troops have achieved a decisive breakthrough in the fierce fighting for the town of Velika Novosilka in eastern Ukraine, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced, quoted by DPA.
With the help of massive artillery support, the units managed to break through Ukrainian defense lines and cut off part of Kiev's forces, the ministry said.
The data cannot be verified by an independent source, and there has been no comment from the Ukrainian side so far.
But a day earlier, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of Ukraine admitted that the situation was complicated and that the troops in the town were under threat of encirclement.
Before the war, Velika Novosilka was a small town with a population of about 5,300 people. Russian troops stationed north and south of the city are fighting their way towards the center of the settlement.
Velika Novosilka is located in the Donetsk region, where Russia captured several towns last year - including Avdiivka, Vugledar, and most recently Kurakhovo - and several smaller settlements.