Russia breaks through Ukraine front lines days before Putin-Trump summit

Vladimir Putin's forces have reportedly executed a sudden breakthrough on the Ukrainian frontline - just days before the Russian leader is scheduled to meet the US President for crucial peace negotiations.

The unexpected advance occurred near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia and represents the most significant movement on the front line witnessed this year, potentially providing Putin with a tactical advantage at Friday's negotiating table.

Reports suggest approximately 100,000 Russian forces have advanced at least 10km north in two separate offensives over recent days, forming part of an ongoing effort to seize the entire Donetsk region.

Troops are also reported to have advanced towards three villages in a front section near Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk.

Ukraine's DeepState authority issued a warning: "The situation is quite chaotic, as the enemy, having found gaps in the defence, is infiltrating deeper, trying to quickly consolidate and accumulate forces for further advancement.", reports the Mirror.

This follows Putin's nuclear war threats after unleashing another night of devastation on Ukraine.

Military sources indicate the latest offensive utilised small sabotage and infantry units to penetrate defences.

Ukrainian officials confirmed reinforcements had been deployed to the region, and reported that some Russian soldiers had been eliminated or captured.

The escalation comes amid diplomatic tension, with Moscow accusing Britain of attempting to disrupt the forthcoming Trump-Putin meeting.

The accusation followed comments from Sir Keir Starmer, who insisted the Russian leader could not be trusted.

"Peace must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it," Starmer said on Monday, as he expressed concern that Kyiv could be left out of the negotiations.

Asked whether he thought Putin could be trusted, the prime minister's official spokesman said the UK supported both Kyiv and the US president's push for peace, but not Moscow.

"Never trust President Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine," he said.

"We will obviously support President Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations. But it is exactly why we've been leading this work on the coalition of the willing, because any ceasefire, as I say, cannot just be an opportunity for President Putin to go away, re-arm, restrengthen, and then go again.

"So we're not going to leave it to trust. We're going to ensure that we're prepared such that we achieve a ceasefire."