 "Putin visits Kursk, a first since Ukraine attacked amid ceasefire talks")
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to Kursk since Ukraine’s incursion into the border region in August last year. During his trip, the Russian leader ordered his troops to defeat Ukrainian forces in the region “as soon as possible”. Interestingly, the visit took place shortly before an American delegation headed to Moscow to negotiate a ceasefire deal, which would lead to the end of the war.
In August 2024, the Ukrainian troops made a surprise incursion into the Kursk Oblast and captured a small part of the Russian border region. The Ukrainians were expecting to use this territory as a bargaining chip when negotiating any future peace deal with Russia.
Putin, dressed unusually in military camouflage, paid a visit to the Kursk command post on Thursday. While addressing the Russian troops, he urged them to push out Ukrainians from the region in the “shortest possible time,” Politico reported. “I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy,” he said.
Putin also made it clear that the captured Ukrainian fighters will be “treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation.” In recent months, Ukrainians have struggled to hold on to the region amid a lethal Russian counterattack. This week, Russia claimed to have recaptured the majority of the seized territory, including the town of Sudzha, Kyiv’s biggest prize, along with hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers.
American delegation heads to Moscow
Putin’s visit to Kursk came at a time when American envoy Steve Witkoff is travelling to Moscow this week. During his visit, Witkoff and his team would present the Kremlin with a ceasefire proposal, which is considered a first step towards a lasting end to the conflict. On Tuesday, Ukraine agreed to the proposal.
Ahead of Witkoff’s trip, US President Donald Trump said that if Russia does not agree to temporarily halt hostilities, there will be swift reprisals in the form of “devastating” financial penalties . If Putin refuses, “I understand that we could count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet, but we are talking about sanctions and about strengthening Ukraine,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after accepting the deal.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“It’s up to Russia now,” Trump said from the White House on Wednesday. “Our people are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully, we can get a ceasefire from Russia,” he added. When asked if Putin would abide by the ceasefire, given he has broken them in the past, the president said: “We haven’t spoken to him yet with substance because we just found out. We’re going to know very soon. I’ve gotten some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing. This is a very serious situation. This is a situation that could lead to World War Three.”
Hence, the ball is now in Russia's court , and it will be interesting to see how Putin reacts to the ceasefire deal.
With inputs from agencies.
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