Ukraine has retaken two villages in its eastern region of Sumy, Kyiv’s military said, adding to recent small territorial gains along the border with Russia ahead of peace talks at a summit of the US and Russian leaders set for Friday.

Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Kyiv and Moscow will both have to cede land to end the war in Ukraine and this week’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin will show whether the Kremlin leader is willing to make a deal.

Ukraine’s forces have liberated the settlements of Stepne and Novokostiantynivka along the frontline in Sumy, the General Staff said in a Tuesday evening report.

“It’s tough. But we are holding back the enemy,” Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, wrote on Facebook, following a meeting on Tuesday with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ukraine’s top brass.

“In the Sumy direction, we are conducting active operations and have some success advancing forward, liberating Ukrainian land.”