Ukraine has completed its withdrawal from Russia’s Kursk region, marking the end of an eight-month military operation that may prove to be a costly strategic mistake, according to an analysis published by The Telegraph on 13 March 2025.
The withdrawal makes peace negotiations with Russia more likely, but on terms that heavily favor Moscow. As The Telegraph notes, had Russian President Vladimir Putin not successfully driven Ukrainian forces out, he would likely have demanded their withdrawal before engaging in any peace talks – creating an additional political challenge for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Telegraph suggests that political considerations may have outweighed military strategy in the decision to launch the offensive. With the US presidential election approaching and Western support waning following Ukraine’s failed 2023 counter-offensive, Kyiv hoped to “galvanise international support through replicating the optimism created by successful counter attacks around Kharkiv and Kherson in 2022.”
“With this bold new offensive [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy wanted to again show the world that Ukraine was still in the fight and could win, if only provided the tools to do so,” The Telegraph writes.
However, the publication argues that by that point, governments in the United States and Europe had already “given up on Ukraine being able to push the Russians out and were focused only on some kind of negotiated settlement.”
The Telegraph attributes this situation to Western “timorousness” throughout the conflict, with President Joe Biden and European leaders supplying “barely sufficient military resources to defend itself but nowhere near enough to win” due to fears of provoking Putin.
“The defeat at Kursk is a tragic allegory for the dire situation that the country now faces,” The Telegraph concludes, highlighting how the failure of the West to adequately support Ukraine over three years has severely weakened its position ahead of potential negotiations.
Related:
- Abrams, M-777, M-2 Bradley: Russia seizes abandoned Western weapons as Ukrainian forces retreat from Kursk Oblast
- Politico: Starmer’s diplomatic heavyweight works to repair Trump-Zelenskyy relations
- A ceasefire on Putin’s terms would cripple Ukraine while strengthening Russia, ISW warns
- Forbes: As Ukraine retreats from Kursk, Russian advances stall or reverse in other sectors
- ISW: Russian forces seize Sudzha town in Kursk Oblast
- Syrskyi: Ukrainians reposition to stronger defensive lines in Russia’s Kursk Oblast “if necessary”
- Russian troops enter Sudzha in Kursk Oblast and cross into Ukraine to sever supply routes
- Military expert: Kursk operation prevented Russian success in Donbas
