Russian forces have occupied much of the sympathetic Donbas region to the east of the embattled nation and a swathe of the south, but have come under heavy fire in key areas such as Kherson in recent weeks.

Ukraines military has made use of Western-supplied missiles to pinpoint Russian military targets in the region, halting a planned referendum in the region widely seen as an attempt to give legitimacy to the occupation.

Ukrainian armed forces and resistance fighters have been able to inflict lasting damage in Crimea as well annexed by Russia since 2014 believed to have crippled the Black Sea fleet aiding ground assaults in the south.

On the backdrop of a war Putin started and, by the time the summit takes place, will be nearly nine months into with no sweeping gains, he may come to breath the same air as the Ukrainian President.

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Putin to come face-to-face with Truss and Zelensky for first time since Ukraine invasion - Express