KYIV - A Russian-appointed official has claimed that Moscow's forces now fully occupy Ukraine's Luhansk region, one of the four territories illegally annexed by Russia in 2022. If true, this marks the first region completely seized after more than three years of war.

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has sharply rebuked recent Kremlin claims that Washington and Kyiv are stalling peace talks, labeling them “Orwellian.” -In a June 30 social media post,

Russia is ready to hold a third round of peace talks on the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on June 27, without specifying if he would directly participate in the negotiations.