As Ukrainian forces mount a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said that success in this region would improve Kyiv’s bargaining position in any future ceasefire negotiations. This new effort takes place as Donald Trump is set to return to the White House in two weeks, giving both sides an increasing sense of urgency to gain ground ahead of any future bargaining the new administration might undertake. Ukraine’s renewed effort in Kursk also comes as Russia, which claimed it captured a key village in eastern Ukraine, continues to gain ground there.
“…the Ukrainians themselves are trying to make sure that they have that strong hand,” Blinken told reporters in Seoul, South Korea on Monday. “Their position in Kursk is an important one, because certainly it’s something that would factor into any negotiation that may come about in the coming year.”
His assessment mirrors what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said back in September about Kursk being a “bargaining chip.”
Hellbound and Down 