US officials believe Ukraine may be forced to retreat from Kursk Oblast in spring, Bloomberg reports
U.S. officials told Bloomberg on Dec. 27 that they believe Ukraine may only have a few months left in its incursion into Kursk Oblast until Ukraine's military is forced to retreat from the region or risk being encircled by Russian forces.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, two U.S. officials told Bloomberg that it was their hope President Volodymyr Zelensky will retreat from Kursk Oblast in order to avoid suffering high casualties, amid an ongoing Russian offensive to retake the territory.
Ukraine first gained a foothold in Kursk Oblast during a surprise incursion into the Russian region in early August. Since then, Russia has launched extensive counterattacks in an effort to take back the region.
Reuters reported on Nov. 23, citing a source in Ukraine's General Staff, that Ukraine has lost over 40 per cent of the territory it previously gained in Russia's Kursk Oblast due to the counterattacks.
Despite territorial losses, one U.S. official told Bloomberg that Ukraine has managed to hold onto the territory longer than expected amid President Joe Biden's approval for Kyiv to use fire long-range missiles into Russia. Another official told Bloomberg they believed the intention was never to hold on to Kursk for the long-term but to provide shock at Ukraine's ability to conduct the incursion.
Zelensky said in September that Ukraine is planning to "indefinitely" hold the seized territories of Russia's Kursk Oblast as it tries to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
In addition to the nearly 60,000 Russian army personnel are currently stationed in Kursk Oblast, approximately 12,000 North Korean soldier have begun fighting alongside Russian troops in the region.
Both Russian and North Korean troops have sustained heavy casualties in the offensive. Zelensky said on Dec. 23 that over 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded thus far.
Ukrainian officials have previously said that they intend to use Ukraine's incursion into Kursk as leverage for possible peace negotiations following the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump has pledged to get the U.S. "out" of Russia's war and negotiate a quick peace deal, with Ukrainian officials urging the incoming president to take a "peace through strength" approach when dealing with negotiations.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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