Russia claims to have captured Pokrovsk in Ukraine

Russian forces claimed to have captured the frontline towns of Pokrovsk

and Vovchansk (see entry below).

But Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that either place has fallen into Russia's hands.

The Russian Defense Ministry Telegram channel posted a video that showed Russian troops striding through a town identified as Pokrovsk.

Moscow has sought full control of Pokrovsk since last year as part of its broader objective to seize the entire Donbas industrial region. 

What to know about Ukraine peace talks on Monday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris for talks on ending the war in Ukraine.

Macron said he wanted to praise the US peace efforts but insisted that any peace plan only "only be finalized with Europeans around the table."

Zelenskyy spoke optimistically about revisions to the Trump administration's initial plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying the version emerging out of talks in Switzerland and Florida over the last week "looks better."

The initial plan would have required Ukraine to give up territory, impose limits on the size of Ukraine's military, and blocked the country from joining NATO.

The plan now heads to Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin set to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed concern that the US-Russia talks might end up with Ukraine having to make more concessions, telling reporters that she was "afraid that all the pressure will be put on the victim."