Putin and Trump are racing against time: Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Romanenko analyzes frontline situation

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"There’s an escalation of fighting in several areas and generally along the entire front line. This marks the start of a new stage of larger offensive operations. As for Russia's advance, we’re talking about tactical moves, but the situation has clearly worsened around the Sumy, Kursk, and Belgorod regions," Romanenko said.

According to him, Russian forces have pushed some Ukrainian units out of areas near Kursk, entered parts of the Sumy region, and are trying to create a so-called buffer zone. At the same time, Ukrainian forces disrupted Russian plans to move troops toward the Pokrovsk direction by launching raids in the Belgorod region.

"In other words, some of those Russian troops were redirected to Belgorod, but part of them still made it to Pokrovsk to continue the advance. Right now, the enemy lacks the resources for a full breakthrough, but they’re still trying to disrupt or cut our logistics routes with offensive operations. They just can’t do it fast," Romanenko said.

He added: "The battles for Pokrovsk have been dragging on for more than six months. That’s why Putin and Trump are rushing — they’re short on time. Trump is running out of days before May 1, and Putin is getting ready for May 9. They missed their Easter deadline, but Putin has ramped up the fighting. U.S. plans here have been derailed. That’s why the Russians are pushing toward the Dnipropetrovsk region. Our troops are holding the line near Kostiantynopil and are repelling the Russian forces."

Romanenko also noted that the situation in the Kharkiv region has worsened. Fighting continues near Vovchansk, but Russian troops haven’t managed to break through. Russian troops are more active near Kupiansk. Clashes are ongoing in several parts of the Zaporizhzhia direction, where Russia has made some limited tactical gains.

"We can see that the escalation of hostilities General Syrskyi warned about is still unfolding," Romanenko said.

• Since the start of April 14, there have been 99 combat clashes along the front. Ukrainian defense forces have repelled 28 Russian assaults in the Pokrovsk direction.
• Meanwhile, Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, reported that Russian forces are once again trying to land on the Dnipro islands and set up positions for a push toward the right bank.
• Yevhen Mahda, Executive Director of the Institute of World Policy, said that Trump’s recent statements need to be viewed in the context of several key factors.