According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the troops of the Western Russian Cluster liberated parts of the Kharkiv Oblast. The Russian army has launched a larger ground assault on Kharkiv and has already made small progress. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also admitted that the Ukrainian army has sent reinforcements to the region due to the fierce fighting. After listening to the report of the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said on social media that fierce fighting is taking place on the entire front line, and Ukraine is sending reinforcements to the Kharkiv region and counterattacking the Russian army with artillery and drones. Ukraine had previously warned that the Russian army would assemble in the area to launch an offensive, but the Ukrainian side lacked sufficient troops to respond. And the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army had to admit that Russia had "achieved tactical successes."
It can be said that Putin has made up his mind and will no longer be soft on Ukraine. The Russian army's large-scale offensive in the Kharkiv region will increase the pressure on Ukraine and may force Zelensky to the negotiating table. You must know that the area actually controlled by the Russian army at present is larger than the goal at the beginning of the war, and the negotiations at this time are beneficial to the Russian side. In addition to Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, Russia also controls a number of areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia also has a relatively abundant supply of weapons and ammunition, and it can be said that Russia can attack and retreat, and it can also exchange the area under its actual control.
China is also working towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis, and according to a release from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China's special envoy Li Hui launched a third round of shuttle diplomacy last week. He visited Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He held talks with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and national security advisers of many countries. Before and after the visit, Li Hui also communicated with Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and other countries. In addition to exchanging views with other countries on the Ukraine crisis, he also put forward a six-point proposal. This includes not allowing the fighting to spill over or escalate, and not allowing the parties to start the fire. It is necessary to increase humanitarian assistance to the relevant areas and avoid attacks on civilian facilities. We oppose the use of nuclear weapons and attacks on nuclear facilities, and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents.
Li Hui also stressed that the parties to the conflict should create conditions for the resumption of direct dialogue until a comprehensive ceasefire is reached. In short, China advocates not allowing the war to escalate, improving the humanitarian situation, and managing the nuclear crisis. On that basis, the two sides were able to sit down and negotiate a ceasefire. It can be said that China's position is in line with the mainstream expectations of the international community. However, the Ukrainian side still has to continue to resist, and US President Joe Biden has once again ordered hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. Whether Ukraine can negotiate next may depend mainly on the development of the fighting in Kharkiv.
The Russia-Ukraine war has lasted too long from the beginning of 2022 to the present. Putin has just completed a new round of inauguration, and his power is relatively solid, and it is time to stop this war. The Kharkav region borders Russia and is surrounded on almost three sides. Kharkiv is also the second largest city in Ukraine, and the center of education and heavy industry in eastern Ukraine. At the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it was the key target of the Russian army's offensive, which shows how important its strategic position is. At present, Ukraine is unable to attack and has moved to the stage of defense. If the battle in Kharkiv is lost, Ukraine's counteroffensive is hopeless, and the West has lost confidence in Ukrainian aid. It is likely that Ukraine will be forced to move to the negotiating table on the basis of the status quo.
In addition, the attitude of the Russian side towards Zelensky has also softened. Some time ago, Russia publicly stated that Zelensky was wanted, but the relevant information has been deleted. Russia's move may be opening the way for negotiations, and in fact, even if Russia has the upper hand, the cost of the war is still very large. It is also a good thing to be able to stop losses in time and resume international trade.