Ukraine liberated 160 square kilometers in in Donetsk Oblast

Ukrainian forces have liberated around 160 square kilometers of territory in Donetsk Oblast during an ongoing counteroffensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sept. 18.

Over the past month, Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces back from advances toward the strategic Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway near Pokrovsk, regaining control of seven settlements. Nearly 100 Russian soldiers were captured in the operation, according to Zelensky.

“Ukraine is rightfully defending its land. We are disrupting all of Russia’s plans to destroy our state,” he said.

Zelensky reported that Russian losses in the Pokrovsk sector over recent weeks exceeded 2,500 troops, including more than 1,300 killed. He added that 170 kilometers of Ukrainian territory have also been “cleared of Russian forces,” though he did not provide further details.

The president renewed calls for military aid and tougher sanctions against Russia, warning that Moscow is preparing two major offensives this fall but may struggle due to mounting losses.

Ukrainian units recently liberated Zarichne, Novoekonomichne, and Udachne in Donetsk Oblast, while Russia captured over 1,500 square kilometers across the front during the summer, according to monitoring group Deep State.

The Trump administration reportedly approved its first European-financed foreign military sales to Ukraine

Reuters reported on Sept. 16 that the Trump administration approved its first weapons package to Ukraine under the PURL initiative, which enables NATO members and partners to finance the supply of U.S. weapons and technology. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby approved up to two shipments worth $500 million each, including air defense systems. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Sept. 17 that the package will provide Ukraine with Patriot interceptor missiles and HIMARS rockets.

Senior Russian officials are signaling that the Kremlin is unwilling to engage in negotiations that would result in anything less than full Ukrainian capitulation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sept. 17 that territorial exchanges will not bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that peace could require “land swaps.” Lavrov also dismissed the idea that restoring U.S.-Russian trade ties could entice Moscow into ending the conflict. Instead, he reiterated the Kremlin’s long-standing demands that any settlement address the so-called “root causes” of the war — a phrase Russian officials have used to justify calls for regime change in Kyiv, Ukraine’s neutrality, and the rollback of NATO’s Open Door Policy.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov the same day claimed that Moscow remains open to negotiations, insisting that Russia’s “preferred solution” is a political and diplomatic settlement. Analysts, however, continue to assess that the Kremlin is unwilling to engage in good-faith talks requiring concessions, and instead seeks to prolong the war until it achieves its maximalist objectives on the battlefield.