Re: Ukraine's Curve Ball

On Sat, 10 Aug 2024 23:41:00 +0200, D <nospam@example.net> wrote:

Since permission is now granted by some western countries to use their
weapons for strikes in russia

Previously, there had been much debate in Washington, Berlin, and
among a wildly speculating media about the Kremlin's supposed red
lines that would set off World War III and nuclear Armageddon, with
one of the lines being taking the war to Russia with Western weapons.
The latter has now occurred. The belief in uncontrolled escalation led
the Biden administration and some of its partners to severely restrict
both the types of weapons delivered to Ukraine and their permitted
range; Ukraine has not been allowed to use Western missiles to hit
military installations on the Russian side of the border, for example.
Part of the effect and purpose of the Kursk operation could be to
demonstrate, once again, the fallacy of the red-line argument.
..
..
As the offensive unfolds and Kyiv stays mostly mum on events, it's
still too early to say what strategic goals Ukraine is hoping to
achieve. One speculation that has gained a lot of traction is that it
could lead to a quicker end to the war. The operation makes it clear
to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine retains significant
potential to inflict pain on Russia. And if Ukrainian forces can hold
on and maintain control of Russian territory--for which they appear to
be digging in as they bring in more equipment and build new defensive
lines--it could strengthen Ukraine's leverage in any potential
negotiations to end the war. Already, Ukraine's lightning foray into
Russia undermines the widespread idea that Putin holds all the cards
to dictate the terms of a cease-fire.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/08/09/kursk-russia-ukraine-offensive-invasion-war-negotiations/