The surprise attack seeks to reverse Ukraine’s decreasing hold of the region. Since Kyiv’s forces gained partial control of Kursk following a daring cross-border assault last August, Russian troops, aided by North Korean soldiers, have halved the territory held by Ukraine, albeit while suffering thousands of casualties.

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.

Ukrainian armed forces on Sunday night began a surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. This was in an apparent attempt to regain the initiative on the battlefield before Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House,

This refers to Putin's comments last month that he was willing to engage in dialogue with Trump but reiterated Moscow's demands which include fully occupying four Ukrainian regions—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson rejecting of Ukraine's NATO membership.

In an interview with US podcaster Lex Fridman, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence in President-elect Donald Trump's ability to broker peace talks with Russia, emphasising a

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is “strong and unpredictable” and those qualities can be a decisive factor in his policy approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.