The Times interviewed Russian soldiers who said they face a brutal fight to dislodge determined Ukrainian forces from a sliver of Russian land. Trapped civilians fear catastrophe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed his nation’s exclusion from the Riyadh talks, saying negotiations to end the war should be “fair” and involve European countries, including Turkiye – which has offered to host future discussions.

The US and Russia kicked off high-stakes talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia that they hope will lay the groundwork to end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine. President Trump has vowed to bring an end to the fighting and force both Moscow and Kyiv to the negotiating table.