Russia has said its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region in a fresh setback for Ukraine as the prospect of peace talks draws closer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky named a high-level delegation, including ministers, that will meet US negotiators in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday seeking to repair ties with President Donald Trump's administration.
The United States has said it wants to discuss a "framework for a peace agreement", but the Ukrainian leader was less specific.
"We hope to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps", he said, stressing that Ukraine is "fully committed to constructive dialogue".
The three-year-long war is now at a critical juncture for Ukraine after President Trump suspended US military aid as well as access to satellite imagery and intelligence-sharing following his public falling-out with Mr Zelensky last week.
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Ukraine still controls some 400km/sq in the Kursk region after launching a cross-border offensive last August and President Zelensky sees this as a possible bargaining chip in peace talks.
However, Ukraine's troops in Kursk have seen their position worsen in recent weeks with Russia's army encroaching.
Russia's defence ministry announced the recapture of three more villages: Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina.
According to DeepState, an online military tracker linked to the Ukrainian army, the Russian move followed a "breach" in the Ukrainian defence lines near the town of Sudzha, which is under Ukraine's control.
The advance appears to have cut off the logistics route needed by Ukraine to supply its troops in the town, although Ukraine has not confirmed this.
Russia has already taken back more than two-thirds of its territory in Kursk initially seized by Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military General Staff said that 14 clashes were ongoing in the region amid heavy bombardment.
"Since the beginning of the day, the enemy has carried out 23 air strikes, dropped a total of 33 guided aerial bombs on our troops' positions and populated areas, and conducted 362 artillery attacks," it said.
Small groups of Russian troops have also mounted attacks in recent weeks into Ukraine's Sumy region bordering Kursk.
Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation denied reports of a "massive breakthrough", saying small groups were trying to cross but being destroyed.
Peace negotiations remain a distant prospect with Ukraine and Russia making starkly opposed demands.
However, Mr Trump's return to the White House has brought this prospect nearer.
The American president has radically shifted the US position, reaching out to Russian President Vladimir Putin while criticising President Zelensky.
Senior US and Ukrainian officials are set to meet for talks on the war in Jeddah on Tuesday.
Mr Zelensky will also visit on Monday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said he would speak to the Ukrainian negotiators about an "initial ceasefire" with Russia and a "framework" for a longer agreement.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine would be represented by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov as well as the president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and the deputy chief of staff Pavlo Palisa, a respected military commander.
Mr Trump said he wants to end the war as soon as possible, but Ukraine fears being forced to make heavy territorial concessions to Russia.
Yesterday, President Trump threatened new sanctions and tariffs on Russia over its bombardment of Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky called for allies to "increase sanctions against Russia" after heavy overnight bombardment in the east and northeast.
A Russian assault hit the centre of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region last night, killing 11 people and wounding 40, according to the emergency services.
Separately, three people were killed and seven others wounded in a drone attack in the town of Bogodukhiv, the military head of the eastern Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegubov, said.
The latest strikes came after EU leaders, shaken by the prospect of US disengagement, agreed to boost the bloc's defences.
Mr Putin "has no interest in peace", the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, adding that "we must step up our military support".
Mr Zelensky said that Ukrainian and British diplomats had held "highly productive" talks in Kyiv, without giving details.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the latest Russian attacks as "what happens when someone appeases barbarians", saying this results in "more bombs, more aggression".
In Dobropillia, AFP saw charred residential buildings, flattened market stalls and evidence of cluster bomb damage.
Irina Kostenko, 59, spent the night cowering in her hallway with her husband. When she left the apartment building on Saturday, she saw a neighbour "lying dead on the ground, covered with a blanket".
"It was shocking, I don't have the words to describe it," Ms Kostenko told AFP.
