On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the army to continue its rapid progress and restore the full lands of the Corsak Province as soon as possible, while Kiev announced that it would accept a 30 -day ceasefire, US officials are preparing to visit Moscow in the hope that Russia will agree to this proposal.
Putin said in comments broadcast on Russian television during his visit to the Corcate Operations Command Center that he is expected to complete all the combat missions that the Russian forces will be in, and that the lands of the Korsk region will be completely liberated, indicating that the construction of a buffer zone must be considered within the Ukrainian area of Sumi, adjacent to the Corsak, to ward off any possible Ukrainian incursions in the future.
The Russian president said that foreign citizens who are fighting with the Ukrainian forces who were captured in Korsk have no right to enjoy the protection provided by the Geneva Conventions, adding that the Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in Kursk should be treated as “terrorists.”
“Our mission is in the near future, and in the shortest possible time, it is to cause a overwhelming defeat to the enemy in the Kursk region, which is still fighting here, liberating the lands of the Korsk region completely, and returning the situation to normal along the border line,” Putin said.
Russian Chief of Staff Valerie Gerasimov stated that his forces have regained control over “more than 1100 square kilometers” of lands occupied by the Ukrainian army since August, “that is, more than 86 percent of the previously occupied area.”
“In the last five days, 24 towns and 259 square kilometers were liberated from the lands of the Kursk region,” Gerasimov added, noting that Russian units crossed the border in some areas and entered the Ukrainian province of Sumi.
The Russian Chief of Staff also confirmed that his forces “isolated” the Ukrainian forces in the region and captured 430 Ukraine soldiers during their recent progress.
Acknowledgment of retreat
On the other hand, Ukrainian army commander Olksander Serski admitted on Wednesday that his forces were declining in the Russian Kursk region in the face of the progress of Moscow forces.
Serski wrote on the Facebook platform that the Ukrainian forces will continue their operations in the Russian Kursk region “as long as this is appropriate and necessary,” adding that the fighting continues in the town of Soda and its surroundings.
He added that the units are moving in a maneuver to “better locations if necessary” to save the lives of the soldiers.
“The Ukrainian armed forces leave Corsak. No Ukrainian soldier will remain there by Friday,” Scadowski Defander, a Ukrainian military blogger, told Telegram.
However, the post indicated that Ukraine continues to carry out strong strikes on Soda.
Ukraine had detonated one of the biggest surprises in the war on August 6, 2024, storming the borders and seizing the Kursk region of Russian territory, which strengthened the morale of the Ukrainians and gave Kiev a possible negotiation paper.
However, after clinging to more than 7 months in the region that gradually took over the Russian forces, Ukraine witnessed a sharp deterioration in its position in Korsk during the past few days after cutting its main supply lines.
Trump’s delegate visits Moscow
Politically, the White House announced on Wednesday that the American delegate Stephen Witkeov will go to Moscow later this week to hold talks on the ceasefire in Ukraine.
Presidential spokeswoman Caroline Levitte told reporters that the United States urges Russia to accept the 30 -day ceasefire proposal, which the Americans and Ukrainians negotiated.
She explained that US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz consulted Wednesday with his Russian counterpart.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump expressed his “hope” that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, would agree to the suggestion of the ceasefire in Ukraine, but he did not specify what the pressure he might exert on.
And he previously met Putin in February when he negotiated the release of the American detained in Russia Mark Fujel.
Trump announced on Tuesday that he would speak directly to Putin, most likely this week.
European moves
European defense ministers met with 5 major European countries in NATO (NATO) yesterday, Wednesday, in Paris to discuss the military security guarantees of Ukraine, including the possibility of deploying peacekeepers if a peace agreement was reached with Russia.
The defense ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain did not specify any details about the size or nature of the potential force after the talks.
“The United Kingdom and France are jointly leading to plan to advance peace efforts and security guarantees for Ukraine,” British Defense Secretary John Healy said at a press conference after the meeting.
He added: “We seek to build an alliance of countries wishing in Europe and abroad,” stressing the need to strengthen military power on all fronts.
For his part, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lucurno confirmed that “the first guarantee of Ukraine’s security is its armed forces.” He explained that the allies seek to strengthen the Ukrainian military capabilities in the long run, as they did since the beginning of the war.
He added: “We cannot ask the European forces to do the Ukrainian armed forces.” But he hinted that Europe may consider sending forces to the Polish -Polish border.
The ministers also discussed efforts to increase arms and improve military coordination between European armies.
For his part, German Defense Secretary Boris Peporius stressed the need for European countries to work for the security of the continent, bypassing national interests, calling for the purchase of uniform military equipment on a wider scale and at a faster pace than before.
This meeting comes in the wake of a joint declaration between the United States and Ukraine on Tuesday about the immediate appeal of military and intelligence aid, in addition to Ukraine’s approval of a 30 -day truce, if Russia agrees to it, after a high -level meeting in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Arm leaders met in 36 countries in Paris on Tuesday evening to discuss the possibility of deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine.
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