Ukraine has achieved small territorial gains in Sum before the Trump-Putin / Sîrskîi meeting: “We have some success”

Ukraine has regained two villages in the Eastern Sumî region, the Kiev army announced, progress that comes after other small territorial gains in the border area with Russia, obtained before the peace negotiations that will take place on Friday, at the summit between the United States and Russia, notes Reuters.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Ukraine and Russia will have to give up the territories to put an end to the war, and this week's discussions with Vladimir Putin will show if the Kremlin leader is willing to conclude an agreement.

The Ukrainian forces have released the settlements Stepne and Novokostiantynivka on the front line of Sumî, the General Staff announced in a Monday evening report.

“It is difficult. But we hold the enemies,” wrote on Facebook the supreme commander of Ukraine, Oleksandr Sîrskîi, after a meeting with President Volodimir Zelenski and high Ukrainian military officials.

“In the direction of Sumî, we carry out active operations and we have some success in advance and release the Ukrainian territory,” he added

Monday's progress comes after, on Sunday, the Kiev army announced that it has recaptured the village of Bezsalivka.

These small territorial gains come in the context in which Russian forces advance for months to the west along the 1,000-kilometer long front, capturing almost new villages, mainly in the Donetk region.

Russia has launched a new offensive this year in Sumî, following the order of Putin to create a “buffer area” there, threatening the regional capital of the same name.

The reputed Ukrainian project Deep State, who has created and updates an online map of the territorial situation, estimates that Russian forces controls about 200 square km from Sumî and a total of about 114,000 square km throughout Ukraine.