Ukrainian counteroffensives aim to slow Russia and gain leverage for future negotiations

The Ukrainian troops attempt to regain initiative in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, as well as near Toretsk and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.

In August 2024, Ukrainian forces launched a rapid offensive in Kursk Oblast, capturing over 1,000 square kilometers, the publication wrote. However, Russia has since regained momentum and retaken some of that territory.

By January 2025, Ukrainian troops resumed counterattacks, advancing about 10 square kilometers south of Sudzha. Capturing a few Russian villages improves Ukraine’s strategic position, potentially giving Kyiv a bargaining chip in future negotiations with Moscow.

Le Figaro noted that Ukraine is trying to maximize its defensive positions. A French military source explains that the goal is to buy time, forcing Russia into tactical dilemmas that slow its offensives.

This strategy is not limited to Kursk — Ukrainian forces have also renewed counterattacks near Toretsk and slowed Russian advances near Pokrovsk.

However, Le Figaro emphasized that these counterattacks alone won’t shift the overall battlefield situation. Russian forces still hold the initiative and advance approximately 10 square kilometers per day. While Russia’s equipment losses remain much higher than Ukraine’s, Moscow’s reserves allow it to sustain its war effort longer.

Meanwhile, Western heavy weapons deliveries to Ukraine are becoming rarer, and Kyiv is struggling with manpower shortages. Ukraine now faces a strategic dilemma — whether to focus on mobile defense or dig in for a rigid defense strategy.

In a war of attrition, given Ukraine’s exhaustion, counterattacks are not a long-term solution, a military source told Le Figaro. However, in the short term, they help Kyiv solidify its position ahead of potential peace talks.

Possible Trump-Putin negotiations 

On Jan. 22, Trump called on Putin to "make a deal", claiming that Russia’s economy is collapsing and will only get worse.

“If we don’t make a deal soon, I will have no choice but to impose high tariffs, duties, and sanctions on everything Russia sells to the United States and allied countries,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He also stated that he expects to hold talks with Putin and is ready to meet him at any time.

On Jan. 27, the Kremlin claimed that no official signals regarding Trump-Putin talks had been received from the US.

On Feb. 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Trump does not yet have a concrete plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump later told The New York Post that he had a phone conversation with Putin, though the Kremlin has neither confirmed nor denied this claim.