Joanna Kakissis

The Chinese leader's call comes as he has sought to play the role of peacemaker, though chances of a big breakthrough are slim, given how far apart Russia's and Ukraine's positions remain.

As Russia advances on Bakhmut, the loved ones of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war's longest battle mourn at an ever-growing cemetery in Kyiv, and pin their hopes on an imminent counteroffensive.

Fighting continues in eastern Ukraine as regional and international defense officials meet in Germany to coordinate delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine.

"He's giving us hope this neighborhood will come back to life," says a neighbor in the apartment building in Kharkiv damaged during Russia's invasion.

Ukraine relies on billions of dollars in aid from the U.S. to keep services running during the war. The way Ukraine spends the money is strictly monitored. The U.S. wants to bolster that transparency.

NPR's Elissa Nadworny talks with NPR Reporter Joanna Kakissis in Ukraine about how the recent intelligence leaks in the U.S. are affecting relations between allies.

The U.S. intelligence leaks, some of which detail the state of the war in Ukraine, have come to light as Ukraine is preparing for a counter-offensive sometime this spring.

In a war-ruined district of Kharkiv, a widower tries to repair his bombed apartment building as Ukraine struggles to restore neighborhoods destroyed by Russian attacks.

Built largely with Western donations, the spa-like retreat provides soldiers with counseling, aromatherapy and more. But most soldiers are there for no more than a week.

Russian forces crossed from Belarus into Ukraine a year ago, headed for Kyiv, before their unexpected retreat. As the war drags on, Ukraine is fortifying even the quietest stretch of this border.

As Russia's war on Ukraine drags on, traumatized soldiers can recharge at a Western-style healing center in northwestern Ukraine before returning to the frontline.

Ukraine's best-known soldier began fighting Russians in eastern Ukraine in 2014, at age 18, forgoing dreams of becoming an artist. He died earlier this week on the same frontline.

At least six people have died after a barrage of Russian missiles hit targets across Ukraine early Thursday. They also knocked out power at Europe's largest atomic power station.

Ukrainian officials say at least six people were killed in Lviv and other cities in a Russian bombardment that included advanced Kinzhal missiles, which air defenses can't shoot down.

An adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the reports are based on "anonymous conjecture but not real facts." The attacks, he said, are "devoid of tactical sense."

Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Both sides have suffered horrific losses. Russia is trying to encircle Ukrainian forces still in the city.

Along a quiet but unpredictable border, Ukrainian soldiers are digging in for a protracted war and training to help besieged forces in the east.

More than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the fighting grinds on. Meanwhile the Group of 20 leading economies could not agree on a statement about the war.

Residents of the Russian-speaking city became partisans who fought for the independence of Ukraine. The nine-month occupation is over, but Russia continues to shell the city.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a lengthy press conference in Kyiv Friday as the country marked one year since Russia's invasion.