U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday that Ukraine's position in the Russian border region of Kursk is critical to any future negotiations, UNN reports citing Le Monde.
Details
"Their position on Kursk is important because it's certainly something that will affect any negotiations that might take place next year," Blinken told reporters in Seoul.
Blinken added that the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, which has provided billions of dollars in security assistance to Kyiv, wants to ensure that "Ukraine has the strongest possible playing field.
Blinken said that even if the talks take place, Ukraine will still need "adequate security guarantees" against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. "At some point there will be a ceasefire. In Putin's mind, it will not be 'game over,'" Blinken said. "His imperial ambitions remain, and he will try to rest, rearm, and ultimately attack again," Blinken said, calling for "adequate deterrence to prevent him from doing so.
Addendum
On January 5, it was reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an offensive in certain areas of the Kursk region in the Russian Federation.
On January 6, an advisor from the President's Office indicated that the territory controlled by the Ukrainian military began to increase in the direction of the Russian city of Kursk.