Putin Orders Final Control Over Kursk Before Responding to Trump’s Ceasefire Proposal /  Israeli Reports of Progress in Doha Talks… After Yemen Resumes Naval Blockade

 March 13, 2025

The political editor wrote

Contrary to U.S. expectations following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval of an American ceasefire proposal, Russia views the move as a Pentagon trap set for President Donald Trump to provoke a clash with Moscow. The Kremlin has not responded positively, arguing that it is only natural for the losing side to accept a ceasefire, especially when no political conditions have been met to end the war. Moscow had anticipated a U.S. invitation to negotiate a peace agreement that would culminate in a ceasefire. Instead, presenting Zelensky’s acceptance as an achievement is mere black propaganda divorced from reality. Negotiating while the war continues would force Zelensky to accept a peace deal reflecting the new balance of power, whereas negotiations following a ceasefire would lead nowhere, only setting the stage for a renewed conflict. Thus, Russian sources indicate that President Vladimir Putin has withheld a response to avoid jeopardising the emerging positive dynamic with Trump. Putin’s announcement of a decisive military push in Kursk marks the beginning of a strategy aimed at dismantling Zelensky’s illusion of territorial bargaining and establishing a negotiating reality based on Russia’s incorporation of Ukrainian regions with a predominantly Russian-origin population.

In Doha, negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza continue following the arrival of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Meanwhile, Yemen has reinstated its naval blockade on ships bound for ports in the occupying entity in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to halt humanitarian aid to Gaza. Notably, Netanyahu has backed down from his initial directive for the Israeli delegation to withdraw from Doha, amid reports from Channel 12 in the occupying entity suggesting that Israeli officials are optimistic about reaching an agreement.

In Lebanon, discussions are dominated by reports from Washington and Tel Aviv regarding the conclusion of the ceasefire monitoring committee’s work and efforts to merge the fate of the five occupied hills with that of the thirteen disputed points Lebanon has contested since 2000. This is being framed under the banner of Lebanese-Israeli working committees. Channel 12 quoted a senior political source in the occupying entity’s government, asserting that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies have reshaped the Middle East, and we aim to maintain momentum toward normalisation with Lebanon”. The source further revealed that “Lebanon has border-related demands, as do we, and these matters will be discussed as part of a broad and comprehensive plan”. However, sources cited by Al-Manar report that both the U.S. and Israel believe the military-security monitoring committee’s role has ended and insist on forming a diplomatic-political committee instead. Yet, Lebanon’s official stance remains firm in rejecting this, as such a shift would amount to normalisation with the entity.