Russia has launched a deadly aerial assault on Kyiv, killing more than a dozen people, including four children. Thirteen days after President Trump declared he could secure a peace deal, Russia shows no signs of backing down, raising concerns about the escalating conflict.

Russia has tied any prospective cease-fire in Ukraine to Kyiv surrendering the eastern Donetsk region, home to a fortified “fortress belt” erected after Moscow’s 2014 invasion. The demand places one of Ukraine’s most strategic territories at the heart of fragile negotiations.