Russia Putin at the front near Kursk - Ukrainians almost driven out
The Ukrainian advance into the territory of the aggressor Russia near Kursk is coming to an end after seven months. Following the recapture of the district town of Sudzha by Russian troops, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin visited a staff post on this part of the front for the first time.
13.03.2025, 05:24
SDA
Dressed in camouflage uniform, he ordered the last Ukrainian troops to be driven out of the Kursk border region as quickly as possible. Putin did not comment on the proposal by the USA and Ukraine for a 30-day ceasefire during the demonstrative appearance with his military leadership.
When will US negotiators travel to Moscow?
Under pressure from the USA, Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire proposal on Tuesday - provided that Russia went along with it. Moscow initially reacted evasively to this outcome of US-Ukrainian talks in Saudi Arabia.
It is unclear how quickly US negotiators will be able to address the initiative in Russia. US President Donald Trump said in the White House that a delegation was already on its way. "We know that people are traveling to Russia as we speak," Trump said at a reception for Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. The White House later announced that special envoy Steve Witkoff would be visiting Russia in a few days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that his country's allies must keep up the pressure on Moscow in this situation. "The most important thing is the ability of our partners to ensure that Russia is prepared not to deceive, but to actually end the war," he said in a video. Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three years.
Ukraine denies complete withdrawal from Russian territory
Despite the setbacks for Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region, Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrsky denied a complete withdrawal. "Despite the increased pressure from the Russian-North Korean army, we will maintain the defense in the Kursk region as long as it is appropriate and necessary," he wrote on Facebook.
There will be possible withdrawals in order to spare the lives of the soldiers. In this case, the units would "maneuver to more favorable positions if necessary", Syrsky explained. According to the maps of Ukrainian military observers, only a few square kilometers are still in the hands of Kiev troops.
With the advance into Russian territory at the beginning of August 2024, Ukraine took the war onto the enemy's territory for the first time. In the first days of the offensive, around 1,300 square kilometers were conquered. The Kremlin and the Russian army were slow to react. Putin ordered the recapture several times, but to no avail.
Only over time did the Ukrainian bridgehead shrink. The Russians stepped up their attacks from February onwards. According to Moscow, the unexpectedly quick conquest of Sudzha was achieved by a ruse: Russian soldiers crawled for kilometers through a dormant gas pipeline into the Ukrainian rear. Other military observers suspect that the Ukrainian withdrawal from Sudzha could already be part of the agreements on a ceasefire.
Russian General Staff: Last Ukrainian troops encircled
The last Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region have been encircled, said Russian General Staff member Valery Gerasimov during the meeting with Putin. The Kiev leadership had occupied the area as a bargaining chip for possible negotiations with Russia. The advance was also intended to tie up Russian forces. "But these intentions of the opponent have completely failed."
Putin said that a security zone was to be established on the border between Kursk and the Ukrainian region of Sumy - in other words, he threatened to advance further into Ukrainian territory.
Gerasimov reported that 430 Ukrainian soldiers had been taken prisoner during the fighting. Prisoners should be treated humanely, Putin said. However, foreign mercenaries were not subject to the international law of war. He also said that Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk were also considered terrorists under Russian law.
Five European NATO states discuss Ukraine strategy
A group of five important European NATO states met in Paris and worked on military security guarantees for Ukraine. They also discussed the possible deployment of troops to secure a peace agreement with Russia. However, the defense ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK have not yet provided any details on the specific form and strength of such a force.
France's Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that the first security guarantee would be to strengthen the Ukrainian army. It was not a question of the Europeans securing a ceasefire line. In Moscow, political expert Vladimir Frolov suspected that Putin would make it a precondition of a ceasefire that no European troops are sent to Ukraine.
This will be important on Thursday
The situation in Ukraine will also be a topic for the foreign ministers of the G7 countries of economically strong democracies, who are meeting in Canada for the first time since Trump took office. Due to Kiev's fundamental yes to a ceasefire, there is hope for progress and a common stance from the G7. In addition to the Middle East conflict, the trade war started by Trump with global punitive tariffs is also likely to be a topic of discussion at the talks in the city of Charlevoix.
