Russia is taking more land in Ukraine very quickly. In November, Russian soldiers captured about 200 square miles, which is twice as much as the month before. Experts say this is one of the fastest advances since the war started almost four years ago. Most of the fighting is in the east, in places like Donetsk, where Russia wants to control cities such as Sloviansk and Siversk. Russian troops are using small groups to sneak behind Ukrainian lines, which makes the battles very hard for Ukraine.

At the same time, peace talks are not working. The United States tried to make a plan to stop the war, but Russia and Ukraine cannot agree. The plan would give Russia some Ukrainian land and limit Ukraine’s army, which Ukraine refuses. European leaders like Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz say they will keep helping Ukraine so it does not lose more ground. They insist Ukraine is not collapsing, even if the situation looks bad.

Russia says it will take the Donbas region “by force or by negotiation.” It has also claimed victories in other cities, like Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, but Ukraine says those reports are propaganda and that fighting is still going on. Both sides are trying to show strength while the talks drag on. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting leaders in London and Brussels to ask for more support and weapons.

This war is not only about land. It affects the whole world because Ukraine and Russia are big producers of food and energy. If the fighting continues, prices for things like wheat and oil could rise again. That is why many countries want peace, but for now, the talks are stuck and the battles are getting worse.

In short: Russia is gaining land fast while peace talks fail, and Ukraine is asking for more help to keep fighting.