Russia claims to have captured the key Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a possible end to the war .

The Ukrainian military denies that Russian forces have captured all of Pokrovsk, which has been fought over for more than a year with massive casualties on each side. Putin hailed the victory as he seeks to strengthen Russia’s bargaining position in peace talks by reinforcing the belief that the military advantage has shifted decisively towards Moscow.

Yet even the maximum Russian demands – expressed in a 28-point US-Russian peace plan since watered down under European and Ukrainian pressure – still fall far short of original Russian goals

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