Russia will not negotiate with Ukraine until it regains control over the Kursk region — WP

Russia is attempting to regain control of the Kursk region ahead of potential negotiations with the new U.S. administration under President Donald Trump regarding ending the war.

This information reported according to The Washington Post.

“If negotiations take place, Russia wants to ensure that only Ukrainian territory will be on the table for discussion,” the publication asserts.

Russian experts have echoed this sentiment. “It is clear that Moscow will not enter any negotiations until they expel all Ukrainian soldiers from Kursk,” said Konstantin Remchukov, editor-in-chief of Nezavisimaya Gazeta, to the paper.

At the same time, the publication notes that while Russia is intensifying its attacks in the Kursk region, it has achieved only limited success. The strategy to hold the Kursk region poses risks for Ukraine, “since experienced units have left their positions (on the eastern front) and concentrated on the Kursk operation.”

“If you focus on holding Kursk, it could expose other parts of the front to greater risk,” said military expert Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia.

He noted that Russia is advancing in eastern Ukraine at its fastest pace since 2022.

Previously, The Telegraph reported that President Putin had ordered the restoration of control over the Kursk region before Trump’s inauguration, which is set for January 20.