Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 18 that Ukraine's military operation in Russia's Kursk region is aimed at establishing a "buffer zone" to prevent further attacks by Moscow.
Since August 6, Ukrainian forces have reportedly destroyed two key bridges and disrupted Russian supply lines. Further south, there has also been “intense military activity” near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, prompting the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to warn of deteriorating safety conditions.
Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed the second Russian bridge in the Kursk region, August 2024. Photo: The Guardian
For its part, Russia has denied that Ukraine's surprise attack on the Kursk region derailed "secret" discussions on stopping attacks on energy infrastructure.
Specifically, the Washington Post reported on August 17 that the two sides were preparing to send delegations to Qatar this month to negotiate a landmark agreement to stop attacks on energy and electricity infrastructure.
The US newspaper said the deal would amount to a partial ceasefire, and online talks via video link were scheduled for August 22. However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied the existence of any such talks.
A Ukrainian sniper opens fire near the Russian border, August 2024. Photo: The Telegraph
The question that has been raised as Ukraine creates a “buffer zone” in Russia is whether Belarus will be next. On August 18, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that a third of his country’s armed forces had been deployed along the border with Ukraine.
Mr Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Minsk’s move was in response to Kiev’s deployment of 120,000 troops on its side of the border. Mr Lukashenko also said the Belarus-Ukraine border was heavily mined, warning that Ukrainian troops would suffer huge losses if they tried to cross.
Ukrainian officials have downplayed the situation. Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s border service, denied seeing any increase in Belarusian troops or equipment at the border and criticized Mr Lukashenko for “steadily escalating the situation”.
It remains to be seen whether Belarus is just “talking the talk,” or whether this could open up another front in the war – and what the extension of the front to Belarus would mean for NATO members in the region like Poland, according to GZero Media.
Some other notable developments in Russia and Ukraine:
- In his nightly address on August 18, Mr. Zelensky praised the Ukrainian military for “its operations in the Kursk region” while lamenting the speed of supplies from Kiev’s Western allies. The Ukrainian leader specifically targeted the United States, the United Kingdom and France for their lack of support.
“There are no holidays in war,” Zelensky said in a speech to the nation. “We need decisions — we need timely logistics for the promised aid packages. I am speaking specifically of the United States, the United Kingdom and France. In addition, there are weeks of important diplomatic work ahead, involving many different partners. Europe, America, the Southern Hemisphere.”
- Russian President Vladimir Putin began a two-day state visit to Azerbaijan on August 18, Moscow news agencies reported. This is Putin's first visit to the Caucasus country in six years.
Russian television broadcast footage of the Russian president's plane landing in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. Mr Putin is expected to hold talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on bilateral relations and "international and regional issues", the Kremlin said.
Azerbaijan is a major natural gas producer, with several European countries now buying gas from the country in an effort to cut dependence on Russian supplies after the conflict in Ukraine broke out in February 2022.
Earlier this year, the EU proposed replacing Russian gas transiting through Ukraine with supplies from Azerbaijan, which currently arrive via pipelines in southern Europe. The transit agreement between Kiev and Moscow, which allows Russian gas to flow through Ukraine to Europe, is set to expire at the end of this year.
Minh Duc (According to GZero Media, DW)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/viec-ukraine-tao-vung-dem-tai-nga-co-gay-cang-thang-moi-voi-belarus-2042408191031454.htm
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