The Russian Defense Ministry says Russian forces have captured seven settlements in the war with Ukraine, taking control of more than 300 square kilometers over the past month.

The ministry said Friday that one of its commanders had informed Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. Russian forces are intensifying their offensive in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, and the commander appears to be in charge of the area.

Ukraine launches attacks on Russian territory using long-range missiles supplied by the United States and European countries.

Western countries only approved such strikes last month, after repeated requests from Ukraine.

But US President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his disagreement with these attacks. In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, he said: “Why are we doing this? We are only escalating this war and making it worse.”

The Wall Street Journal on Thursday cited senior government officials as saying that Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron that he did not support Ukraine’s membership in NATO during a meeting on December 7.

Trump also reportedly said Europe should play the lead role in defending and supporting Ukraine, and suggested European troops should monitor any potential ceasefire.