Ukraine-Russia war live: Putin’s troops have entered Dnipropetrovsk region, Kyiv admits – UK Times

Ukraine’s military has denied Moscow’s assertions that Russian forces have taken full control of two villages in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.

The Russian defence ministry announced that its troops had seized Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka, settlements situated just inside the oblast.

However, Ukraine’s general staff rejected the claim, saying that fighting was still ongoing.

Battlefield monitor DeepState, which maintains close connections with Kyiv’s military, reported on Tuesday that Russian units had “occupied” both villages and were “consolidating its positions [and] accumulating infantry for a further advance”.

The Dnipropetrovsk region does not fall among the five territories that Russia has illegally annexed – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea.

Steve Witkoff said he thought Russian president Vladimir Putin wanted to bring an end to the war.

“I think he (Putin) has made a good faith effort to engage. He certainly did at the Alaska summit. But it’s a very complicated conflict,” Mr Witkoff, the US special envoy, said on Fox News.

President Donald Trump held a summit with Putin in Alaska on 15 August and a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as Nato and European leaders, at the White House on 18 August.

Following those meetings, Mr Trump said Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin would hold a bilateral meeting before a trilateral meeting that would also include him.

But as progress stalled, the Ukrainian president said Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Mr Putin. Russia has said it does not believe the agenda for such a meeting is ready.

“I think that we may end up seeing a bilateral meeting,” Mr Witkoff said. “My own opinion is that the president is going to be needed at the table to finish a deal.”

Russia has captured two villages in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian open-source researchers confirmed on Tuesday, as Kremlin troops press an offensive amid a stalling diplomatic effort to end the war.

Ukraine’s outmanned and outgunned military has struggled to fend off grinding Russian advances in much of the east as Moscow increases pressure on Kyiv to give up territory in any peace negotiations.

Russian forces now occupy the villages of Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka, according to DeepState, a group tracking battlefield developments. Moscow’s defence ministry had previously reported capturing both villages.

Ukraine’s military on Tuesday dismissed reports that Russian troops had occupied the villages as false.

“Russians have entered (there) and are attempting to establish a foothold,” Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov told Reuters, referring to Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka. “Our forces are fighting to maintain their positions.”

Russian forces said in July they had taken their first village in Dnipropetrovsk, which is not among the five Ukrainian regions Russia has claimed as its own territory.

DeepState’s map shows at least two other Dnipropetrovsk villages either occupied or the site of fighting, comparatively minuscule areas in the region of over 31,000 square kilometres.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had previously dismissed the significance of Russia’s push into the region, describing it last month as aimed at achieving a “media victory”.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday that he will meet with representatives from Ukraine in New York this week.

The Trump administration official said Washington continues to talk with Russia as the United States seeks an end to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“I’m meeting with the Ukrainians this week. So I will be meeting with them this week in New York, and that’s a big signal. We talk to the Russians every day,” Witkoff said on Fox News.

Russia has been accused of being “disrespectful” to the peace process in its war with Ukraine, with the Government saying it is dragging its feet over talks.

Downing Street said Vladimir Putin was blatantly stalling progress, less than a fortnight since the Russian president met with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with European leaders, met Mr Trump in Washington days after the Alaska meeting to get an update on the talks.

“I think Russia cannot be more blatant about dragging its feet, and stalling the peace talks,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“Ukraine has long been clear it’s willing to enter the… peace talks.

“But we continue to see Russia and President Putin prevaricate, these unrealistic asks and delaying tactics to ensure these bilaterals aren’t going ahead.”