The CIA is discussing the situation in Kursk with Ukraine.
The CIA said it is in discussions with Kyiv regarding the Ukrainian Armed Forces' efforts to gain a foothold in the Kursk region.
According to RIA Novosti on August 29, Deputy Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) David Cohen said that the CIA is in contact with Ukraine to discuss the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the context of the offensive in the Kursk region, including the construction of defensive structures and attempts to gain a foothold on Russian territory.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are building defensive structures in the Kursk region, and as far as we can tell, based on our discussions, they intend to hold this territory for some time," the CIA Deputy Director said at the U.S. National Intelligence and Security Conference.
Cohen added that since Ukraine's attack on the Russian border region in early August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been forced to retreat partially; he also added that, according to the CIA, the Ukrainian military "has no intention of annexing Russian territory."
Professor Stephen Walt of Harvard University, in an article for Foreign Policy, argues that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to attack the Kursk region will have no positive impact on Ukraine's fate, will lead to greater losses for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and will significantly increase the risk of escalating the conflict.
Experts note: "It would be a terrible mistake to believe that an attack on the Kursk region would allow Ukraine to receive additional military support and return Crimea and Donbass."
According to Professor Stephen Walt, such a decision by the Kiev authorities demonstrates a stalemate on the battlefield for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Furthermore, the "provocation" by the Ukrainian leadership significantly increases the risk of escalating the conflict.
