Russia has made slow but steady gains in recent weeks against Ukraine but at a steep cost — the bloodiest month in the nearly three-year war, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Russia has sustained more than 600,000 casualties during the war in Ukraine, a sign of losses accelerating out of proportion with its gains, Pentagon officials said. Since the summer, Moscow has continued to take territory in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk,

Russian forces have made "significant progress" in parts of the Donetsk region, according to an open-source intelligence outlet.

LONDON (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday, a boost for Ukraine after a summit of its main backers was cancelled at a difficult moment in its fight against Russia.

Pope Francis will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday morning, the Vatican said on Wednesday. Francis last saw the Ukrainian president on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in southern Italy this summer.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with Pope Francis. The meeting is scheduled for October 11, according to ANSA. "Pope Francis will receive the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,