Russia and Ukraine have made competing claims about who is gaining ground, as Russian strikes keep hitting Ukrainian cities and U.S.-backed talks in Turkey were postponed. A Ukrainian general said Kyiv's forces push Russians back in parts of the Dnipropetrovsk region. Another Ukrainian officer tells the AP that troops have advanced more than 6 miles, while Russia's leader said his army expanded gains in the Donbas. There was no independent verification of either side's claims. Meanwhile, Russian glide bombs hit Sloviansk and killed four people and drone attacks wounded more civilians, a Ukrainian official said Tuesday.

Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region. That's according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter. The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the U.S. intelligence has not uncovered that Russia is directing Iran what to do with the information. Still, it's the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war that the U.S. and Israel launched on Iran a week ago.

Russia has condemned U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and urged an immediate stop to the campaign and a return to diplomacy. In a Telegram post on Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry called the strikes preplanned and unprovoked aggression against a U.N. member state. It said the United States and Israel used Iran's nuclear program as a cover. It claimed they are really seeking regime change. Russia warned the attacks could spark humanitarian and economic disaster. It also warned of a possible radiological catastrophe, saying strikes on safeguarded nuclear sites are unacceptable. It said Moscow is ready to help broker peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russia has not "broken Ukrainians" nor triumphed in its war. He spoke Tuesday four years after an invasion that has severely tested the resolve of Kyiv and its allies and fueled European fears about the scale of Moscow's ambitions. In a show of support, more than a dozen senior European officials headed to the Ukrainian capital to mark the grim anniversary. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, upended life for millions of Ukrainians, and created instability far beyond its borders. Zelenskyy said his country has withstood the onslaught by Russia's bigger and better equipped army. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "not achieved his goals."

The latest U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine have ended with no sign of a breakthrough. Both sides said Wednesday the talks were "difficult," as the war's fourth anniversary approaches next week. The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by the U.S., after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials described as constructive but which also made no major headway. Expectations for significant progress in Geneva were low. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of "trying to drag out negotiations" while it presses on with its invasion.

Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv have met in Abu Dhabi for U.S.-brokered talks to end the nearly four-year war. The discussions on Wednesday came as Russian cluster munitions killed seven people at a market in Ukraine. The talks include U.S. officials and aim to address key issues. But previous negotiations last month yielded no breakthroughs. The meeting also coincides with the expiry of the last nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States. Moscow has continued to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure that has caused widespread damage. Ukrainian officials have expressed outrage. And repair crews are working to restore power amid freezing temperatures.

A new report warns that the number of soldiers killed, injured or missing in Russia's war in Ukraine could reach 2 million by spring. The report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that Russia has suffered the largest troop deaths for any major power since World War II. It estimates Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 deaths, since February 2022. It said Ukraine has suffered between 500,000 to 600,000 casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths. Officials said Wednesday that two people were killed near Kyiv after Russian strikes and at least nine were injured in attacks across Ukraine.