Fall Pokrovsk could weaken Ukraine’s position amid US-Russia talks - Reuters
The capture of Pokrovsk by Russian troops appears to be a matter of time rather than probability. Although the fall of the city would not cause the collapse of Ukrainian defenses, it could weaken Kyiv at a time when the US is actively negotiating an end to the war.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Reuters.
On December 1, Moscow announced that it had allegedly taken full control of Pokrovsk, two days before US President Donald Trump's special envoy and his son-in-law visited the Kremlin to discuss a peace plan that, according to them, was "close to finalization."
Ten days later, Ukraine announced that its forces were holding positions in the north of Pokrovsk, a city with a population of around 60,000 in 2022 and an important logistics hub.
"A new round of pressure on Ukraine to settle the conflict on unfavorable terms is happening at the same time as heavy fighting in this area, which plays into Russia's hands because it affects Trump's perception of the situation," said Mykola Bielieskov, senior analyst at the Come Home Alive Foundation.
Reuters reports that Kyiv is attempting to maintain working relations with the US, which provides critical support in the form of weapons and intelligence, while rejecting a peace agreement that Russia has tied to the demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the entire Donbas region.
Ukraine emphasizes that it has been fighting for its Donbas since 2014 and has neither the legal nor moral right to surrender its sovereign territory to the occupiers.
What preceded it?
The General Staff stated that Russia's claims about the capture of Pokrovsk, Vovchansk, and Kupiansk are not true.
The situation in Pokrovsk is extremely difficult, but the Defense Forces continue to hold the northern part of the city along the railway line.
The commander of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia," Yurii Harkavyi, decided to prove to the BBC that fighting continues in Pokrovsk and that the Defense Forces control the northern part of the city.
He used his radio to ask two Ukrainian defenders to come out of their hiding place in the building to show the Ukrainian flag.
