Complete collapse? They're losing territories

They add that it would deprive Kyiv of an important position for negotiating a truce with Russia, reports Bloomberg.

Ukraine's military is already struggling with manpower shortages and uncertainty over future arms deliveries and aid from the US and other allies as it struggles to halt the advance of Russian forces in the east.

In Kursk, Ukrainian forces also faced about 12,000 North Korean troops who had reinforced Russian forces. With Moscow's increased efforts to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk, they may only be able to hold the territories until spring before being forced to withdraw, according to US officials who did not want to be named.

The newly elected President of the USA, Donald Trump, said that he wants to bring the war to a quick end, and the two sides may need months to agree on a truce, according to the American agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he was not aware of the new Trump administration's alleged proposal to freeze the conflict if Russia were given guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO in the next decade or two.

According to him, such an agreement would definitely not suit Russia. Because Russia currently has the upper hand on the battlefield, it could delay negotiations as it seeks to take as much territory from Ukraine as possible before they start a possible freeze in the conflict, according to Bloomberg.

According to one US official, Ukraine's intentions in Kursk were never to hold the area, but to cause a shock with a counterattack and inflict losses on Russian forces, so the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from there could still be considered a tactical success.

Despite the possible withdrawal of Ukrainian soldiers, their incursion into Kursk has already caused heavy losses to Russian and North Korean forces, according to the agency.

George Barros, an official at the Institute for the Study of War, says that it has always been clear that Russia could regain Kursk if it wanted to, but adds that the Ukrainian incursion has shown that Russia's international border is not fully protected.

If Russian forces were to launch a counteroffensive in Kursk, they could likely send additional North Korean troops, one US official said. Even without those troops, Russia can still compensate for its own losses, which according to American estimates amount to 1,200 people a day.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding Kursk, Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine, towards Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub through which Kyiv moves forces to the front.

While Ukrainian troops may hold Pokrovsk for some time, one US official indicated that it is only a matter of time before Russian forces surround it, leaving Ukrainian forces with the dilemma of whether to withdraw or surrender.