Expert: It is important for West that everything in Kursk region is done according to rules of warfare

This was stated by Julia Soldatiuk-Westerveld, an expert at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, in an exclusive commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.

"It is difficult to take new territories, but it is even more difficult to hold them effectively. And since Ukraine is doing this with the help of military support from Western countries, it is very important for Western countries that everything that happens in the process of offensive, counterattack, all actions that take place, they must be in accordance with the rules, ethical rules of warfare. And this is, of course, always more difficult and expensive than the methods used by Russia," she said.

The expert noted that there is an opinion that after the seizure of the territories, perhaps, the next step could be certain negotiations. "But apart from the exchange of prisoners of war, I do not see any possible concrete steps that could be taken in the future, as both sides are not ready for negotiations," added Julia Soldatiuk-Westerveld.

According to her, it is still very difficult to assess the goals of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operation in the Kursk region, but in her opinion, the energy aspect is not the key one.

"I do not yet see any direct advantage for Ukraine in terms of manipulating or somehow influencing the control over the gas pipeline. This is a complicated aspect, because not only two parties are involved here - Russia and Ukraine, but also the countries that receive this gas," she said.

The expert also believes that this deal strengthens Ukraine's position and weight in the international arena.

"President Zelensky once said in an interview that it is important for Ukraine to show its strengths. That is, everyone loves winners and will support them. Ukraine's status has risen significantly when it has shown that it can conduct successful control operations. At the same time, there is still no understanding of the final goals and outcome of this operation. But so far, all these reactions that we have so far are quite positive. And from what I can see, Ukraine's actions in Russia are currently seen as legitimate by its partners," she said.

According to her, with regard to the use of weapons provided to Ukraine by its partners, "we see that different countries, such as the Netherlands, have allowed the use of weapons with almost no restrictions. Canada and Denmark have imposed certain restrictions, and Ukraine is complying with them. So it's all consistent, and it's important for Ukraine to comply with the agreements, as they are a prerequisite for further arms supplies."

As reported by Ukrinform, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, confirmed on 12 August that the Defence Forces were conducting an offensive operation in the Kursk region.

During a meeting on 15 August, Syrskyi said that 82 settlements in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation were already under the control of Ukrainian troops.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi stressed that the purpose of the operation in Kursk region was not to seize foreign territories, but to save lives and protect the territory of Ukraine from Russian attacks.

US President Joe Biden said that Ukraine's unexpected offensive in Russia's Kursk region "created a real dilemma" for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, adding that Washington was in constant contact with Kyiv.