Russian Troops Enter Key Ukrainian Region As Trump Envoy Says Talks Are Ongoing

Russian troops person for nan first clip entered a key Ukrainian region, Kyiv's subject said Wednesday, arsenic President Donald Trump’s typical envoy offered caller specifications connected the Kremlin's demands and stressed that nan U.S. bid push remained connected track.

A mini number of Moscow's forces had crossed into nan Dnipropetrovsk region and entered 2 villages, nan Ukrainian subject confirmed to NBC News, though it denied they had gained a unchangeable foothold successful nan cardinal region.

“They did not negociate to summation a foothold because they were pushed back. Although nan fighting is now going connected successful nan contiguous vicinity,” Ukrainian subject spokesperson Viktor Tryhubov said by telephone Wednesday.

"They are perpetually trying to transverse nan administrative border, spell to those settlements, but location is nary unchangeable power complete those settlements," Tryhubov added.

He was referring to 2 villages, Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka, which had fallen nether Russian control, according to nan Ukrainian group DeepState that tracks battlefield developments. Moscow’s defense ministry had antecedently claimed nan seizure of some villages.

NBC News is incapable to independently verify nan battlefield claims.

The business successful Dnipropetrovsk remains fluid, Tryhubov cautioned.

Russia’s subject has been pushing to make gains location complete nan summertime while President Donald Trump has been seeking a breakthrough to extremity nan war, though his bid efforts person stalled successful caller days.

The region is bordered to nan eastbound by Donetsk, ample swaths of which are presently held by Russia. Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, said this area successful Ukraine's business heartland is what nan Kremlin has its eyes connected successful immoderate bid settlement.

Witkoff told Fox News precocious Tuesday that nan Kremlin had presented a bid connection that involves Donetsk. But he conceded this “may not beryllium thing that nan Ukrainians tin take.”

The Russian defense ministry claimed hours later that it had captured different colony successful nan Donetsk region, wherever aggravated battles are ongoing.

Nonetheless, Witkoff, who said he will meet pinch Ukrainian officials this week successful New York, remained optimistic. “That’s a large signal,” he said connected “Special Report pinch Bret Baier.”

“I deliberation that we whitethorn extremity up seeing a bilateral meeting,” he said, adding that yet he thought Trump whitethorn "be needed astatine nan array to decorativeness a deal."

Trump himself had appeared little definite earlier this week astir nan anticipation of a acme betwixt Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and nan Kremlin formed caller uncertainty connected nan process Wednesday.

"We position these discussions negatively," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, dismissing nan thought that Russia would judge nan beingness of European troops connected its neighbor's territory arsenic portion of nan information guarantees being worked retired for Ukraine.

Peskov praised nan "very substantive, constructive, useful, and necessary" acme betwixt Putin and Trump successful Alaska, but said it was not adjuvant to discuss successful public.

He reiterated that location are nary dates planned for immoderate acme betwixt nan Russian and Ukrainian leaders. “The heads of nan negotiating teams stay successful contact,” Peskov told reporters successful his regular briefing. Any further high-level contacts “must beryllium well-prepared successful bid to nutrient meaningful results,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Ukraine and its friends were “accelerating nan process of defining nan details” of nan security guarantees successful talks involving "military commanders, defense ministers, and information advisors."

But, he said successful a station connected X, “unfortunately, nan Russians are presently sending antagonistic signals regarding meetings and further developments.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky successful Kyiv connected Monday.Viktor Kovalchuk / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Apart from nan negotiated tensions, Ukraine is besides facing continued Russian attacks.

Nearly 100 drones were launched overnight and deed Ukraine’s power infrastructure, causing powerfulness outages successful Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv, Zelenskyy said successful a abstracted station connected X.

"New steps are needed to summation unit connected Russia to extremity nan attacks and to guarantee existent information guarantees," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has itself been targeting Russia's power sector, striking refineries and different infrastructure successful a run aimed squarely astatine Putin's economy.

Gas stations person tally barren successful immoderate regions, pinch reports of motorists waiting successful agelong lines and supplies moving debased while prices spike.