Putin's strategic push: Reclaiming Kursk before Trump era
Vladimir Putin wants the Russian military to reclaim the part of the Kursk region of Russia taken by Ukrainian forces before Donald Trump's inauguration as President of the USA, writes the British "The Telegraph". In this way, he aims to strengthen his country's position before possible peace talks with Ukraine.
NATO countries believe that Putin hopes to reclaim territories taken by Ukrainian forces before Trump's scheduled inauguration on 20 January - writes "The Telegraph".
Earlier, the newspaper The New York Times reported that Russia had amassed over 50,000 soldiers in the Kursk region for the planned counteroffensive. Among them are units from North Korea.
Citing the assessment of British military intelligence, "The Telegraph" states that in the coming days, Russia will likely intensify drone attacks on Ukrainian positions. So far, Russian forces have reclaimed about half of the territories taken by Ukrainians since the beginning of their operation in the Kursk region in August, it adds.
According to Ukrainian analysts, the Kremlin may be planning to use the counteroffensive in the Kursk region to attack Ukraine in the Sumy direction, in the northeast of the country.
Kremlin denies: There were no talks with Trump
On Sunday, the "Washington Post" reported that US President-elect Donald Trump had a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin. Trump reportedly advised the Russian leader not to escalate the conflict, and the conversation concerned "peace in Europe".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied on Monday the media reports that there had been a phone conversation between Trump and Putin.
