Zelensky honors troops in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops near the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region on Saturday. He was seen awarding medals to soldiers and holding briefings at a command post in videos shared on social media. After his visit to Pokrovsk, Zelensky traveled to the Kharkiv region to meet more troops and military leaders. The area around Pokrovsk has faced ongoing Russian attacks since mid-2024, but Russian forces have struggled to gain more territory recently. The complete takeover of Donetsk is a key goal for Russia in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions, though Russia only partially controls them. Putin has also hinted that Russia may seek additional territories in Ukraine. The timing of Zelensky's visits is notable, as they occur just before scheduled ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia, where US negotiators will meet with both Ukrainian and Russian representatives.