Kyiv: Ukraine plans to force Russia to negotiation table through tactical defeats in Kursk region
Ukraine is not interested in occupying Russian territories, but in the event of potential negotiations with Russia, Kyiv will need to bring Moscow to the table on its own terms, said Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President.
Podolyak emphasized that Ukraine does not plan to beg for agreements. Instead, he pointed to tested and effective means of coercion, specifically economic, diplomatic, and military measures.
"We need to inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia. In the Kursk region, we are clearly seeing how military tools are objectively applied to convince Russia to enter a fair negotiation process," the advisor wrote.
When death and destruction were far from the Russians, they felt quite comfortable, remaining indifferent to the combat operations. But now, with war reaching their territory, Russians have become fearful and are starting to quietly discuss the real situation on the front lines, Podolyak highlighted.
"Negative changes in the psychological state of the Russian population will be an additional argument for the start of negotiations," he believes.
Meanwhile, Russian propaganda is gradually beginning to prepare its citizens for the loss of territories. During the program "Meeting Place" hosted by Andrey Norkin, speakers discussed that Russia may lose not only the Kursk region, but other border regions as well.
Russia is also reportedly redeploying its troops to strengthen the Kursk direction, but instead of professional soldiers, conscripts from other regions are being sent to fight there.