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The European Union (EU) head of diplomacy, Joseph Borrell, said this Tuesday that a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kursk region is forcing invading Russian forces to retreat to their territory.
“[O Presidente russo Vladimir] Unable to break Ukraine’s resistance to Putin’s unjustified invasion, now forced to withdraw into Russian territory”, Borrell pointed out via the social network X.
discussed @DmytroKuleba Recent developments on the front and the Kursk counteroffensive. I reiterated the EU’s full support for the struggle of the UA people.
Putin has been unable to overcome UA resistance to his unjustified invasion and is now pushed back into RU territory.
— Joseph Borrell Fontelles (@JosephBorrellF) August 13, 2024
In the same message, he indicated that he had contacted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba about “recent events on the frontline and the Kursk counteroffensive.” “I reiterated the European Union’s full support for the struggle of the people of Ukraine,” he noted.
An EU spokesman expressed support for Ukraine’s efforts to force Russia’s territorial withdrawal this Tuesday, but would not comment on the incursion of Ukrainian forces into the Russian Kursk region, saying they were “not involved”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already highlighted that The purpose of the invasion of the Russian province of Kursk was not to “occupy the territory of the region”, but to protect Ukrainian citizens. He further pointed out that this offensive operation complicates Russian military logic and sends additional units to the Donetsk region (east), where Russian forces are exerting strong pressure on the front line in the Pokrovsk region.
Analysts cited by the Associated Press (AP) news agency believe the “catalyst” for the move included a desire to ease pressure on Ukraine’s front lines, trying to divert Russian forces to the defense of Kursk and other border areas. Moscow, however, seems not to have “taken the bait” by the intensity of the fighting around Pokrovsky.
In a statement to Politico, Ukrainian military spokesman Dmytro Lykovy said, The Ukrainian offensive led Russia to withdraw a “relatively small number” of units from occupied territory in Ukraine.. “Russia has relocated some of its units from Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in southern Ukraine,” Likovy said.
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