Russia-Ukra's 'war to secure territory' intensifies...Zelensky "will meet shortly after Trump's inauguration"

[Anchor]
Two weeks before U.S. President-elect Trump's inauguration, Ukraine and Russia's territorial war against each other in preparation for future end-of-war negotiations is intensifying.

President Zelensky said he would like to meet with Trump shortly after taking office, and that he could negotiate with Russia if security guarantees are in place.

Correspondent Jo Su-hyun reports from London.

[Reporter]
Russia's defence ministry says it has taken control of eastern Ukraine's Kurakhobe.

Kurahobe is the largest settlement in the southwestern Donbas, a key point to Pokrosk, an important logistical base for the Ukrainian army.

The Russian military has also claimed that it has become difficult for the Ukrainian military to support Donetsk logistics.

In Kursk, where fierce fighting has been going on for two days, both sides claim to have paid off each other.

Russia says Ukrainian forces lost hundreds of troops and 10 tanks in Kursk the day before.

The Ukrainian military, which launched a counterattack, claimed that the North Korean military had lost a battalion of troops for two days and that Russia was paying the right price.

With the inauguration day of U.S. President-elect Trump, who has vowed to end the war as soon as possible, just two weeks away, the battle for territorial security is getting fiercer.

President Zelenskyy poured praise on Trump, saying he wanted to meet Trump soon after he took office.

[Volodymyr Zelensky / President of Ukraine] Security guarantees are impossible without the United States. I'm talking about security guarantees that can prevent Russian attacks.]

He said that he did not intend to hold three-way talks from the beginning, saying that such security guarantee measures must be prepared first to talk to the Russian side.

At the same time, he evaluated Trump as the right person to end the war, which is interpreted as a strategy to lead the negotiations to an advantage.

President Zelensky has expressed expectations for an end-of-war deal, saying Trump will be the first leader to visit Ukraine by air since the start of the war.

I'm Jo Suhyun of YTN in London.



Filming: Yoo Hyun-woo