Ukraine war live: US’s Witkoff set to meet Putin in Moscow as Russia claims capture of Pokrovsk

Amid ongoing US-Russia talks, fighting intensifies over the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region. Russia claims to have captured Pokrovsk, but Ukraine insists fighting continues, with control divided between the north and south. Capturing Pokrovsk would be Russia's most significant territorial gain since Avdiivka and provide a platform to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Russia aims to seize the entire Donbas region, of which Ukraine still controls approximately 10%. While Russia has been threatening Pokrovsk for over a year, they are now attempting to encircle the city and threaten Ukrainian supply lines. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is currently in Ireland and has stated that Ukraine takes peace talks seriously.

According to Russian sources, Russian forces have captured Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, after nearly two years of siege. The announcement, attributed to Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, also claimed the capture of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. The news was reportedly delivered to President Putin, who congratulated the forces on their victory. Pokrovsk, formerly home to 60,000 people, has been heavily bombarded, though Ukraine has yet to confirm the Russian takeover. Pokrovsk is a major transportation hub in the Donetsk region, one of the four regions of eastern Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is meeting with US and European leaders to discuss ending the war.