U.S. President Donald Trump has promised a swift end to the Ukraine war but with talks about to begin the author of "The Art of the Deal" may have already complicated his task by sacrificing leverage.

The Times interviewed Russian soldiers who said they face a brutal fight to dislodge determined Ukrainian forces from a sliver of Russian land. Trapped civilians fear catastrophe.

President Trump said he and Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday had agreed to open immediate talks to end the war in Ukraine in a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” between the two leaders. “I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion,