“Ukrainian servicemen accept no talks, no agreements or compromise decisions,” Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny wrote on Telegram late Monday after a telephone conversation with Milley.
Lavrov attended the G-20 leaders' summit in Bali instead of Putin.
“They clearly have plans to keep the offensive going,” said Rajan Menon, a director at Defense Priorities, a Washington-based think tank.
“It makes perfect sense” for Ukrainian forces to reach the Kinburn Peninsula south of Kherson, gaining a tactical advantage around the Black Sea, he added.
“Hard fighting does remain for Ukraine as they seek to liberate occupied territory,” a senior military official said, adding that the U.S. and its allies would “ensure that they have what they need to succeed on the battlefield.”