Key developments on March 12:
- Ukraine says it's ready to fight in Kursk Oblast 'as long as necessary,' as Russia claims to retake over 86% of seized territories
- Ukraine doesn't trust Russia but wants to show readiness for peace, Zelensky says on ceasefire deal
- Ukraine-US talks in Jeddah concerned potential territorial concessions, Rubio confirms
- Russia has stepped up attacks in Ukraine's south over past two weeks, military says
Russian troops have regained control of more than 86% of the territory in Kursk Oblast captured by Kyiv, Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, said on March 12, while Ukraine said it was ready to fight as long as needed.
His claims come as multiple Ukrainian and Russian sources reported that Russian troops had entered Sudzha, a key Ukrainian-held stronghold in the Russian border region of Kursk.
Following Gerasimov's reports, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed ongoing battles in the suburbs of Sudzha and the surrounding areas.
"In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To do this, the units of the Defense Forces, if necessary, maneuver to more favorable positions," said Syrskyi.
He added that Ukraine will hold the defense in Kursk Oblast "as long as reasonable and necessary."
According to Gerasimov, Russian forces have recaptured 24 settlements and 259 square kilometers (100 square miles) of territory in Kursk Oblast.
Russian news agency Tass published purported footage showing Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting one of the Russian troops' control centers in Kursk Oblast, which is claimed to have marked his first trip to the embattled region since the beginning of Kyiv's incursion.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports. The Ukrainian military has not publicly commented on the claims.
Putin ordered to regain control over the entire territory of Kursk Oblast and to consider creating a "security zone" along the border with Ukraine, Tass wrote.
Russia is seeking to push Ukrainian troops out of Kursk Oblast and move the fighting to Sumy and Kharkiv oblast.
The Russian president also said that Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk Oblast should be labeled as "terrorists." Russia's General Staff claimed that over 400 Ukrainian troops have been taken captive in the region.
Over seven months of fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Russian losses have reached nearly 54,900 personnel, with over 22,000 killed, Syrskyi claimed on March 12.
Natalia Yermak
Ukraine doesn't trust Russia but wants to show readiness for peace, Zelensky says on ceasefire deal
Ukraine wanted to demonstrate to U.S. President Donald Trump and its European partners that it is serious about ending the war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 12 about why Kyiv agreed to Washington's temporary truce proposal.
While Ukraine initially proposed a partial ceasefire that would extend only to aerial and naval operations, U.S. delegates proposed a full truce during talks with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah on March 11.
After receiving the proposal, Zelensky said Ukraine was "ready for a 30-day ceasefire format offered by the U.S. side."
"I have repeatedly stressed that none of us trust Russia... but we will not play with narratives that we want the war to continue," Zelensky said at a press conference.
"I am very serious, and it is important for me to end the war. I want the U.S. president to see this; so that Europe and everybody unites to push Russia toward ending the war."
The Ukrainian president also noted that the ceasefire would be only the first step toward a full peace. After the war ends, martial law will be lifted, and elections will be held, he added.
Chris York
Ukraine-US talks in Jeddah concerned potential territorial concessions, Rubio confirms
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 12 that Ukraine-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11 included discussions about potential "territorial concessions" as part of a negotiated settlement with Russia.
"Yeah, we've had conversations," Rubio said in an airport in Ireland when asked about potential discussions regarding Ukraine ceding territory.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to make compromises for a peace deal, calling Ukraine's goal of restoring its pre-2014 borders "unrealistic."
Russian forces currently occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine, from where reports of systematic repression, torture, and forced deportations regularly emerge.
Rubio also said that the Jeddah talks covered "what a negotiation process would look like" and reiterated, "There is no military solution to this conflict."
The official acknowledged that Ukraine requires security assurances to deter possible future Russian aggression and emphasized that "Europeans will need to be involved in this regard."
Trump has so far refused to offer such security guarantees, saying during his Feb. 28 meeting with Zelensky that responsibility for Ukraine's security should fall on Europe.
Chris York
Russia has stepped up attacks in Ukraine's south over past two weeks, military says
Small Russian infantry groups have stepped up assault operations in Ukraine's south over the past two weeks as they look to improve Moscow's battlefield positions, a spokesperson for the military told Ukrinform on March 12.
Thirty-five attacks have been recorded in the area today so far, with Russian forces pushing on the Huliaipole and Orikhiv sectors in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command.
"This is not an offensive or part of the enemy's strategic actions, but tactical attempts to improve their position relative to the combat line," Voloshyn said.
Russia has also intensified artillery shelling and air and missile strikes on Ukraine's Tavria group of forces, which covers Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, Voloshyn said.
Note from the author:
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Andrea Januta
