Russia claims to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, threatening message before the Trump-Zelensky meeting

The Kremlin claims that Russian forces have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine, Mirnohrad and Huleaipole, a day before the meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will have with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, in Florida, reports AFP.

According to the statement sent on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed by the army about the “liberation of Dimîtrov (the Russian name of the locality Mîrnohrad, no) and Huleaipole”.

Mîrnohrad is in the Donetsk region, near Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub that Moscow claims it has captured since December 1.

Huleaipole is in the eastern part of the Zaporizhia region, where the Russian advance has been rarer but has accelerated in recent months.

Vladimir Putin told Russian television that the offensives in both areas of the front are “intensifying the pressure” on the Ukrainian military.

Moscow's announcement of progress on the battlefield came a day before the presidents of Ukraine and the United States are due to meet in Florida, where Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump are to discuss the plan to end the war. The Ukrainian leader arrived in Canada on Saturday, from where he also spoke via video system with the European leaders.

“If the authorities in Kiev do not want to solve this problem peacefully, we will solve all the problems we face by military means,” Putin said on Saturday.

Zelenskiy said that territorial issues and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) are “red lines” for Kiev in the peace negotiations.

“Of course, there are red lines for Ukraine. They include both the territories and the ZNPP. You know my position – we will not legally recognize anything in any case,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by RBC-Ukraine.