Here on the ground, we don’t feel any real changes from all these high-level meetings and statements,” a soldier said.

President Xi Jinping expressed China's support for improved relations between Russia and the United States, particularly regarding a political resolution to the Ukraine conflict, during a call with President Vladimir Putin.

DNIPROPETROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield expressed little hope for a diplomatic solution to the war with Russia, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s Friday deadline for the Kremlin to stop the killing arrived and he eyed a possible summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict.