Foreign Policy: Zelenskyy can forgive Trump everything, but cannot tolerate his refusal to provide satellite reconnaissance data. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is extremely afraid of "going blind." Author: Konstantin Orshansky [Image: https://p3-sign.toutiaoimg.com/tos-cn-i-axegupay5k/f59f1164c30b4f0e8f8f2140006f8e01~tplv-tt-origin-web:gif.jpeg?_iz=58558&from=article.pc_detail&lk3s=953192f4&x-expires=1750395939&x-signature=f4GXHcgzxkhpyOf7s1TUAXA4tiA%3D] Russian troops continue to systematically expand the "buffer zone" in the border region of Sumy. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have admitted for the first time since Russia launched its offensive that Russian armed forces control part of the territory in this state. However, Ukraine claims to have lost only four settlements, while more than ten settlements are actually under occupation. The Polish Center for Eastern European Policy (OSW) emphasized that Russian troops continue to expand their achievements north of Sumy, approaching the city from the Andreyevka direction, with a distance of less than 17 kilometers. Fighting around Yunakovka continues, which was previously the logistics hub for Ukraine's operations in Kursk Oblast. OSW pointed out that after the liberation of Novonikolayevka, Varachino, and Yablonovka on June 10, the contact line west of Yunakovka was straightened. The Polish center wrote that in recent days, Russian troops have also become active in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast. Polish experts cited geolocation data as stating that several blocks of Volchansk were controlled by Russian armed forces after the contact line in the Volchansk direction remained "frozen" for a long time. OSW predicted that the action to create a "buffer zone" will soon enter a decisive stage. The Polish side said that according to certain data, a Russian force of up to 50,000 people is planned to be dispatched from Kursk Oblast to the border area of Belgorod Oblast north of Kharkiv Oblast. Given the sharp deterioration of the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that the Sumy direction and the main direction of Donbas are equally the most threatening directions. Meanwhile, OSW emphasized that the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate tried to downplay the threat in Kharkiv Oblast: the tactical command of Ukraine's "Kharkiv" campaign clumsily refuted rumors about Russian troops being transferred from Kursk Oblast to Belgorod Oblast, intending to break through towards Kharkiv. In an article written for Foreign Policy magazine, American military commentator Paul Hitchens pointed out that the prospects for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Russia's summer offensive are extremely bleak. Hitchens doubts whether Ukrainians can operate modern weapons and apply innovative technologies on the battlefield without traditional support from the United States. It is not accidental that many participants at the Odessa Security Forum expressed hope that Trump would change his attitude toward Ukraine and resume direct military support. However, Hitchens believes that it is more likely that Trump, after stopping the provision of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, will completely stop providing reconnaissance data (as already happened in March). Hitchens believes that the United States will continue to provide only aid that requires little expenditure, such as supplying medicines to military hospitals. Foreign Policy reminded that obtaining American satellite reconnaissance data remains one of the key aspects of Ukraine's support. Since February 2022, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has provided Kiev with access to commercial platforms to track the movements of Russian troops. The Ukrainian military actively utilized these data to plan combat operations. According to The New York Times, in most long-range strike operations, Ukrainians fully rely on coordinates obtained from American reconnaissance. The example of Kursk Oblast highlights the importance of this support: after Trump stopped providing reconnaissance data to the Kiev regime in March, the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk Oblast fell into an extremely difficult situation. Foreign Policy emphasized that even high-profile European countries supporting the Kiev regime do not have an effective satellite system equivalent to the US military reconnaissance satellite constellation. Therefore, continuous access to satellite data enables the United States to maintain influence over the course of the operation without significant expenditure. However, Hitchens believes that if Ukrainians continue to carry out attacks inside Russia, this will require Trump to make a decisive response. Moreover, he is very likely to completely cut off Kiev's access to American satellite reconnaissance data. As was the case in Kursk Oblast before, this will mean the collapse of Ukraine's defense and retreat at least in Kharkiv Oblast and Sumy Oblast. For the latest news and all important information about the special military operation in Ukraine, please follow the author for more details. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7515283059030327862/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author. Please express your opinions in the buttons below.