by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine says its forces have pushed back Russian troops threatening a key chain of fortified cities in eastern Ukraine.

The clashes came despite U.S. efforts to end the war or at least halt attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Monday that both Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to stop striking each other’s energy facilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared to comply if Russia did the same, while expressing doubts that Moscow would honor such an arrangement.

The Kremlin on Tuesday called the proposal a “good idea” and said it remained in contact with Washington. Yet Zelensky said Russian forces continued targeting energy infrastructure and that Ukraine responded.

RUSSIAN ADVANCE PUSHED BACK

The developments came as Ukraine reported battlefield gains farther east, where its forces have been counterattacking Russian troops threatening the so-called “fortress belt” of heavily defended cities in the Donetsk region.

Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, said Ukrainian forces had recaptured dozens of square kilometers (more than 10 square miles) during an operation codenamed “Vivaldi.” Russian military sources familiar with the situation also reported Ukrainian advances.

Moscow’s military had pushed into a salient north of Sloviansk while other forces sought to advance from the south, raising concerns that Russia could eventually threaten the fortified Ukrainian-held cities from multiple directions.

The reported Ukrainian counteroffensive could ease some of that pressure and complicate Russian efforts to capture the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of the Donetsk region.

NATO TENSIONS

The battlefield developments came amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO military alliance members around the Baltic Sea.

Denmark accused a Russian frigate of firing flares toward a Danish military helicopter operating over international waters near Gedser. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the incident “reckless,” while Russia accused the helicopter of provocative maneuvers. Denmark said it would not seek NATO consultations under Article 4.

Separately, NATO aircraft shot down an unidentified drone over Lithuania after authorities said it apparently entered from the direction of Belarus. Its origin had not yet been established.

A senior NATO official also said the alliance recorded more than 200 suspected Russian disruptive or “hybrid” operations over the past year, excluding thousands of cyberattacks. NATO officials say such activities increasingly include sabotage, espionage, and influence operations, though individual incidents are not always publicly attributed to Moscow.

The incidents underscore wider security tensions surrounding the war as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine and Washington seeks to establish at least a limited halt to attacks on critical energy infrastructure.

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