The Ukrainian military has regained control of two settlements in the eastern Sumy region: Stopin and Novokostyantynivka. These areas were liberated from Russian occupation forces just as final preparations were underway for an important meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. The meeting is scheduled to take place on August 15 in Alaska, USA. The liberation of Stopin and Nov Stopin and Novokostyantynivka was confirmed by Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi. “It’s very difficult. Our troops are holding back enemy forces,” Syrskyi said after a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He also stated that a strong military campaign is underway to liberate towns and villages occupied by Russian forces in the Sumy region. One day before the liberation of Stopin and Novokostyantynivka, Ukrainian forces had also freed another settlement in the area called Bazsalivka. The main focus of the Putin-Trump meeting will be on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Speaking before the meeting, Trump said that there is a high possibility that a peace agreement might involve territorial exchanges between the two countries. However, analysts believe that this is something neither Ukraine nor Russia would agree to.
The Ukrainian forces have liberated these settlements in the Sumy region at a time when Russian troops are tightening their grip on many towns and villages in Donetsk, which is part of the eastern Donbas region. The frontline of the intense battle between the two countries’ forces has stretched to 1,000 kilometers. Ukraine analysts say that currently, 200 square kilometers of the Sumy region are under Russian military control. Moreover, 114,000 square kilometers of Ukraine’s total territory is under Russian control. This amounts to one-fifth of Ukraine’s land, including large parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas, as well as many southern areas of Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, Crimea, Ukraine’s southernmost region, has been under Russian occupation since 2014.
