President Donald J. Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, at the InterContinental New York Barclay in New York City. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump explained that his main goal in Ukraine was to stop people from dying. Now that he is the President-elect, America will see what his approach will be to achieve that goal. In The Wall Street Journal, Ian Lovett discusses the views of Rep. Mike Waltz, (no relation to Tim Walz), who will be Trump’s national security adviser, and the current battle for Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine hopes to hold onto some gains before Trump is inaugurated. Lovett writes:
The battle for control of the Kursk region has reached an intensity rarely seen during 2½ years of war, as each side tries to strengthen its position before President-elect Donald Trump, who wants both sides to negotiate, takes office in January.
Moscow has deployed some 45,000 troops to the region, according to Ukrainian officials, including some of its best forces who are attacking in nonstop waves. Despite enormous casualties, the strategy appears to be working: In recent weeks, Russia has retaken nearly half the territory that Ukraine seized during its August incursion. Analysts say Russia might be planning an even bigger offensive there.
But Ukraine has also sent many of its best brigades to Kursk. In addition, President Biden’s decision last week to allow Kyiv to fire long-range American missiles into Russia has given Ukrainian troops a much-needed boost and a capability that could disrupt Moscow’s supply and command lines.
Trump’s pick to be national security adviser, Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), said he had met with his counterpart in the Biden administration, and on Sunday expressed some support for the recent decision to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, as well as land mines.
“For our adversaries out there that think this is a time of opportunity, that they can play one administration off the other, they’re wrong,” Waltz said, speaking on Fox. “We are hand-in-glove, we are one team with the United States in this transition,” he said.
Still, some in Kyiv are worried that Trump’s desire for negotiations will play into the Russians’ hands. Ukrainian officials have said they believe Russia is trying to retake Kursk before Trump’s inauguration. If Kyiv can hold on to some territory in Kursk, it could give Ukraine a valuable bargaining chip in any peace talks.
“It’s the best Ukrainian forces against the best Russian forces,” said a 35-year-old Ukrainian sergeant fighting in Kursk who goes by the call sign Dzhyn. “At this rate, I see no reason for us to withdraw.”
Read more here.
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