Russia says it seized town in eastern Ukraine, as Germany’s Scholz calls for new peace talks

Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday that its armed forced had seized the town of Novohrodivka in Ukraine, drawing nearer to the strategically important settlement of Pokrovsk.

The military action comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for renewed peace negotiations between the two sides. Speaking to broadcaster ZDF, Scholz said he had talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that they had both agreed on the need for a new peace conference that would also include Russia.

The captured settlement is in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the center of intense fighting as Kyiv’s forces are defending against a grinding assault by the invading Russian army.

Novohrodivka is less than 20 kilometers east of Pokrovsk, a small city that is militarily important as a node for rail and road logistics.

The continued Russian advance westward comes despite what was in June a successful counterattack by Ukraine into Russia’s Kursk region. While Russia hasn’t been successful in dislodging Ukraine from Kursk, it has managed to keep pushing the front line in the Donbas region forward.

 Meanwhile, a Russian drone violated Romanian airspace during overnight attacks on Ukraine, the NATO member reported on Sunday. The incident occurred as Moscow carried out attacks on “civilian targets and port infrastructure” across the Danube River in Ukraine, Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said.

Romania deployed F-16 jets to monitor its airspace, and NATO allies were kept informed, the ministry said. Romanian emergency authorities also issued text alerts to residents of two eastern regions.