Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi warned on Saturday of a possible new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, a part of northeastern Ukraine which has seen heavy fighting since Russia invaded in 2022.

Trump was unhappy to find out about the Pentagon chief’s controversial decision, which the president quickly reversed after a high-stakes meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The northern regional capital has become a frequent target of Russian drones, missiles and guided bombs. Now, Ukraine's top general says at least 50,000 Russian troops have massed across the border.

Ground reports analysed by the American non-profit Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and other publications also indicate Russia’s intensified offensive over the past 30 days.

Trump has been threatening sanctions on Russia since taking office in January but has so far failed to impose any. In June, he stated that he pointed out sanctions "cost a lot of money" and signalled he was waiting to see whether a deal between Russia and Ukraine would be signed instead.

He has visited Ukraine many times since 2022, travelling the length of the front line and talking to Ukrainian commanders. Russia has ramped up its offensive operations in Ukraine. According to Oleksandr Syrskyi,

Russia’s army has vast manpower and equipment advantages over Ukraine but its progress has been slow and Russian military bloggers blame a culture of military corruption.

An emboldened Russia has ramped up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine. The renewed fighting has scattered Kyiv’s precious reserve troops and threatened to expand the fighting to a

Moscow's forces made gains in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

For a fleeting moment, Ukraine’s conflict may have come full circle. In the past 48 hours, US President Donald Trump has perhaps said his most forcefully direct words yet on arming Ukraine. And in the same period,