A wounded man being carried after a Russian attack in Sloviansk, Ukraine.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany welcoming President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Berlin in May. Ukraine and its European allies are pressing hard for Mr. Zelensky to be included in talks.

An analysis of internet and social media posts from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Russian border regions showed weariness with the war, but also skepticism toward potential cease-fire agreements.

Ukrainian soldiers preparing to launch an assault in the Donetsk region last month. After more than 15 months of Russian offensive, they are finding opportunities for localized counterattacks.

Russian soldiers at an artillery position in the Kursk region, in December. Even before it sent troops, North Korea was supplying Russia with millions of artillery shells.

Injured Ukrainian soldiers, after arriving from the front line in an armored vehicle with combat medics, are stabilized before further transport to area hospitals. Combat medics with the 63rd Brigade of Armed Forces of Ukraine at a position in the Kreminna Forest, where they evacuate wounded soldiers and collect dead from the front trenches. Once stabilized, they're transported to a hospital for further care. Nicknamed the "black forest," fighting has been intense in this frontline region, near Lyman in the Donetsk Region, with Russian positions a close distance away.