Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk, the western Russian region, on Wednesday for the first time since Ukrainian forces partially occupied it. His visit comes as Russia is on the verge of driving Kyiv's troops out of Kursk.
In the footage aired by the Russian state television, Putin was seen in military fatigues inside a control centre. "Indeed, in the shortest possible time is to finally defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region and still conducting defensive actions here," Putin told Russia's top military brass.
Valery Gerasimov, head of the Russian General Staff, was heard telling Putin that Ukrainian troops were now surrounded and were being "systematically destroyed". To this, Putin urges Russian forces to completely liberate the region from the Ukrainian troops as soon as possible.
Interestingly, the visit comes as the US officials are headed to Russia to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Steve Witkoff will be travelling to Moscow later this week to deliver the US ceasefire proposal for the Ukraine conflict, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday. "We urge the Russians to sign on to this plan. This is the closest we have been to peace in this war," Leavitt said.
Putin's visit to Kursk has raised concern in Ukraine with Kyiv's analysts stating it was an "attempt to raise the stakes before talks with the United States."
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (run by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council), wrote on Telegram: "Putin decided to issue threats, put on a military uniform and talk about a ‘buffer zone’ because Kursk Oblast represents a personal humiliation for him."
Putin's visit comes as Kremlin said it was reviewing details from Washington about a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine before responding. His presence, with Gerasimov's statement of Russian advances, also eliminates any possibility of Ukraine ever using Kursk as a bargaining chip in any peace talks with Moscow.