CIA discusses with Ukraine about Kursk situation
The CIA said it was discussing with Kiev efforts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces 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 contacting Ukraine to discuss the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces within the framework of the attack on the Kursk region, including the construction of defense works and efforts to gain a foothold on Russian territory.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces are building up defensive structures in the Kursk area, 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 US National Intelligence and Security Conference.
Since Ukraine’s offensive on Russia’s border in early August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been forced to partially retreat, Cohen added, adding that, according to the CIA, the Ukrainian military “has no intention of annexing Russian territory.”
Harvard University Professor Stephen Walt, in an article for Foreign Policy, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to attack the Kursk region will not have any positive impact on the fate of Ukraine, and will lead to greater losses for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while also significantly increasing the risk of conflict escalation.
“It would be a terrible mistake to believe that the attack on the Kursk region will allow Ukraine to receive additional military support and return Crimea and Donbass,” the expert noted.
According to Professor Stephen Walt, such a decision by the Kiev authorities indicates a stalemate on the battlefield for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, the “provocation” of the Ukrainian leadership significantly increases the risk of escalation of the conflict.