Russia and Ukraine have been locked in an intractable-seeming conflict that has thrown not only the two nations into a state of prolonged chaos but huge swaths of Eastern Europe as well. While ostensibly a war over territorial expansion and ethnic sovereignty,

Ukrainian defenders continue to mount a successful defense against relentless Russian assaults, delivering a decisive blow to enemy forces near Pokrovsk, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin says Russia is 'striving' to end the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian President said the Government was prepared to use intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missiles or to use more powerful intermediate-range weapons.

Russia has said it would only accept a legally binding ceasefire deal for a lasting peace that would ensure the security of both Russia and its neighbours. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that a weak ceasefire to freeze the war in Ukraine would be futile and counterproductive.