Russia is reportedly massing approximately 50,000 troops, including significant numbers of North Korean soldiers, near Ukraine’s Sumy region for a potential summer offensive aimed at creating a “buffer zone.

Moscow’s dual campaign of intensified frontline attacks and bombardment of Ukrainian cities has further reduced the prospects for an end to the fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is stalling at the peace table while preparing a new military offensive in Ukraine, two senior US senators warned Sunday, arguing that the next two weeks could shape the future of a war that has already smashed cities,