Three meters underground, a network of tunnels and trenches fortified with timber provides a safer spot for frontline fighters to rest and recuperate – and a deeper position to defend against a potential Russian advance into Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine.
Down here in the dirt, it feels far from the capital Kyiv, and light years away from the United States – where a dramatic flurry of diplomatic activity in the past week means little to those on the battlefield.
“We want to believe the war will end, but it doesn’t feel likely anytime soon,” said Viktor, a 53-year-old infantryman in the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade. “How can we believe (Russian President Vladimir Putin) when there has been so much deception?”
Any hopes of any progress are beginning to fade after Russian officials made it clear that a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky is an unlikely prospect – despite the Alaska summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump, and the subsequent talks between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Monday.
On Wednesday, Zelensky said “some compromise” will be needed, but on Thursday Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Zelensky is “not interested in a sustainable, fair and long-term settlement.”
