Russia鈥檚 defence ministry claimed on Sunday to have captured a tiny village in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where it has been on the offensive making territorial gains.
Russian troops 鈥榟ave managed to liberate the village of Umanskoye in the popular republic of Donetsk鈥�, the ministry said in reference to the Ukrainian village of Umanske.
Umanske is a tiny village that had fewer than 180 inhabitants before Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
It lies about 25 kilometres to the northwest of Donetsk, which is the main city of the region and is under Russian control.
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said on Friday Russia had made advances 鈥榠n all tactical directions鈥�.
Moscow鈥檚 forces had seized 880 square kilometres (340 square miles) of territory this year alone, he said.
Ukraine鈥檚 outnumbered and outgunned forces have been under pressure for several months, particularly since Russia launched a new push in early May around the eastern city of Kharkiv, the second largest in Ukraine.
Russian soldiers have also been pushing hard in the east towards Pokrovsk, a city around 30 kilometres northwest of Umanske.
Kyiv hopes the imminent delivery of Western munitions it has long been waiting for will allow its troops to regain the upper hand on the battlefield.
Likewise, US President Joe Biden鈥檚 decision to allow Kyiv to use American-supplied weapons to strike certain targets inside Russia has provided Ukraine with a significant boost.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused China on Sunday of working hard to stop countries from going to a peace summit, which Beijing has publicly criticised because Russia is not invited.
Zelensky made the remarks at a security forum in Singapore as he sought to rally support for the conference and appealed for more military aid for Ukraine, which has been ceding ground to Russian troops.
鈥楥hina, unfortunately, is working hard today to prevent countries from coming to the peace summit,鈥� Zelensky told reporters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, which draws defence officials from around the world.
Beijing believes the conference 鈥榮hould have the recognition of Russia and Ukraine, equal participation of all parties and fair discussion of all peace plans鈥�, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Friday.
鈥極therwise, it is difficult for the conference to play a substantive role in restoring peace,鈥� she said.
Zelensky also expressed disappointment that 鈥榮ome world leaders鈥� had not signed up to the conference, with China signalling Xi Jinping will not attend while US President Joe Biden is yet to commit.
Through the peace summit, Kyiv hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end Russia鈥檚 war.
Zelensky said on Sunday that more than 100 countries and organisations had signed up to the conference, and he urged Asia-Pacific nations to join.
The peace summit threatens to be overshadowed if key Ukraine backer Biden鈥攚ho is locked in an election campaign against Donald Trump and has given no sign he would participate鈥攗ltimately stays away.
Zelensky said China was 鈥榓 tool in Putin鈥檚 hands鈥� and accused Russia of using Chinese influence and diplomats to do 鈥榚verything to disrupt the peace summit.鈥�
While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
Zelensky also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday on the sidelines of the Singapore security forum. Zelensky told reporters they had a 鈥榲ery good鈥� meeting.
In a post on X, Zelensky said the pair discussed 鈥榯he defense needs of our country, bolstering Ukraine鈥檚 air defense system, the F-16 coalition, and drafting of a bilateral security agreement.鈥�
In a readout of the talks, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said Austin reiterated 鈥榰nwavering US support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression鈥�.
Austin also 鈥榬eaffirmed the US commitment to maintaining the strong support of a coalition of over fifty countries to help Ukraine defend its freedom,鈥� Ryder said.
The meeting came after Washington decided to partially lift restrictions on using US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia, which Zelensky has hailed as a 鈥榮tep forward鈥�.
Chinese defence spokesman Wu Qian told AFP he was not aware of any plans for Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun to meet with Zelensky in Singapore.