BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukraine has stolen the battlefield initiative from Russia with its cross-border offensive into the Kursk region. But its Western backers have, for the most part, remained curiously silent about the surprise move.
A week on, as Russian forces scrambled to respond to the sneak attack after days of fierce fighting, Ukraine’s top military commander said that his troops were in control of 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory.
The move also appeared to surprise many of Ukraine’s supporters at NATO and the European Union. It’s unclear how extensively they were briefed ahead of the offensive, if at all, even though U.S. President Joe Biden insists that he’s been kept abreast of developments since.
“I’ve spoken with my staff on a regular basis probably every four or five hours for the last six or eight days,” Biden told reporters on Tuesday. The Ukrainian offensive, he said, is “creating a real dilemma for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”
Pressed for more, Biden said only: “That’s all I’m going to say about it while it’s active.”
In Brussels, European Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali also declined to go into detail, saying that “the European Union is not involved, and is not commenting on, the operational developments on the front line.”
“We are fully standing behind Ukraine’s legitimate exercise of its inherent right for self-defense and efforts to restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and to push back and fight the illegal aggression by Russia,” she told reporters.
Kyiv’s aims are not entirely clear. Some analysts speculate that the incursion aims to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in future peace negotiations. Military experts agree that it should provide some relief for embattled Ukrainian troops by drawing enemy soldiers away from the frontline.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says the operation is to protect against long-range strikes launched from Kursk. “Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said, according to local media.
The ministry claimed that Russia had launched more than 2,000 strikes from the Kursk region in recent months using missiles, artillery, mortars, drones and glide bombs.
The mostly muted and sometimes contradictory response from Kyiv’s backers is confusing, although the allies appear to tacitly agree that Ukrainian troops should be allowed to defend territory, including through attacks across the border.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has clearly backed the operation, even though he was not consulted about it beforehand.
Russian actions in Ukraine bear “the hallmarks of genocide, inhumane crimes, and Ukraine has every right to wage war in such a way as to paralyze Russia in its aggressive intentions as effectively as possible,” Tusk said.
NATO declined on Wednesday to comment on the Kursk operation. But its outgoing Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, has regularly argued that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself from an aggressor, and that its Western allies are within their rights to help Kyiv do that.
Legal experts agree that “international law provides for a state that is defending itself also to defend itself on the territory of the attacker. That is clear from our point of view, too,” German Defense Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz said Monday.
However, the world’s biggest security organization is also extremely wary of being drawn into any wider war with Russia, which has a formidable nuclear arsenal. Some allies have balked at allowing Ukraine to use the arms and ammunition they send to strike on Russian soil.
In an interview published on Monday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani insisted that the weapons his country sends “cannot be used to attack Russia on its territory.” Ukraine has already used U.S. arms to strike inside Russia after Washington eased restrictions.
Part of the silence might also be due to the fact that Ukraine’s Western backers have promised to help the country defend itself, but not to actually seize victory, partly due to concern about what might happen to Russia and its vast nuclear arsenal should Putin be defeated.
The former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe, Ben Hodges, has criticized what he sees as a policy of “escalation management” and a lack of commitment among Western allies to help Ukraine win.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, after returning from a trip to New Orleans to tout the Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to boost funding, research and treatment to prevent cancer deaths and help those living with the disease. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
A plate with sign "Kursk 108 km" is seen on the Russian-Ukrainian border in Sumy region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Military vehicles drive near the Russian-Ukrainian border in Sumy region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
An anti-tank system known as "dragon teeth" covers a field on the Russian-Ukrainian border in the Sumy region of Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — As many in the entertainment industry navigate the devastating effects of the California wildfires, some will soon be decamping to cleaner air in the mountains. The annual Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday in Park City, Utah.
The 41st edition of Robert Redford’s brainchild will, as always, be a year of discovery and discussion. There are timely films:
— “Free Leonard Peltier,” which will premiere just days after former President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of the Indigenous activist nearly half a century after he was imprisoned for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.
— Oscar-winner Mstyslav Chernov’s“2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a joint production between The Associated Press and Frontline about an attempt to liberate an occupied territory in Ukraine
— Several films about trans rights including “Heightened Scrutiny,” about civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio. It's a topic even more pressing after President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday rolling back protections for transgender people.
There are even some controversies brewing: “The Stringer,” from documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen, calls into question who took the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Napalm Girl” photograph. Retired AP photographer Nick Ut and the AP, which conducted a six-month investigation into the allegation, are contesting it and Ut's lawyers have asked for it to be pulled from the program.
“The film is an investigation,” said Eugene Hernandez, the director of the festival, who is moving forward with plans to screen it. “I think it will be a really important conversation that will come out over the next few days after the film is seen by more people.”
Don’t worry, it’s not all heavy. There’s drama of course, even a film about starting over after a fire (“Rebuilding,” with Josh O’Connor), horror, satire, literary adaptations, comedy, documentaries about famous faces, and some that simply defy categorization.
“There’s some really funny stuff in the program,” Hernandez said. One of those Hernandez cited is “Bubble & Squeak,” about a married couple accused of smuggling cabbages into a nation where they’re banned.
For first time filmmakers, Sundance can be their chance to break through in a big way. That happened last year for “Dìdi” filmmaker Sean Wang. Some films that debuted last January are still in the awards conversation, like “A Real Pain” and “A Different Man.” For actors, the festival is both a casual respite to awards season glitz (snow boots are more likely on red carpets than high heels) and can be a chance to show audiences a new dimension of their talent.
“It’s a strong year of renewal for our artist community,” Hernandez said. “And we have a lot of really great voices and stories that we get to unveil in the coming days.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
Sundance runs from Jan. 23 through Feb. 2. There are about 90 features premiering across the 11 days, with screenings starting early in the morning through midnight. Award-winners will be announced on Jan. 31.
Stars with films premiering include Jennifer Lopez, Benedict Cumberbatch, Diego Luna, Conan O’Brien, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Ayo Edebiri, Olivia Colman, André Holland, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Bowen Yang, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Lily Gladstone, Dev Patel, Emily Watson, John Lithgow, Marlee Matlin, John Malkovich, Rose Byrne, Chloë Sevigny, Josh O’Connor, Ben Whishaw, Dylan O’Brien, Lili Reinhart and Willem Dafoe.
One of the greatest things about Sundance is that it’s often the under-the-radar movies that become the breakouts.
But some of the higher-profile premieres going into the festival include: Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider-Woman,” starring Lopez; Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)”; “Opus,” a horror about the cult of celebrity with Edebiri and John Malkovich; Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet,” with Bowen Yang and Kelly Marie Tran; the war satire “Atropia,” with Alia Shawkat; “Pee-wee as Himself,” about the late Paul Reubens; “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore”; and Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman’s doc “The Alabama Solution,” about a cover-up in one of America’s most notorious prison systems.
Festival organizers have been in dialogue with filmmakers, staff, audiences and donors about the effects of the fires, supporting and accommodating where possible including pushing back deadlines to allow filmmakers more time to finish. The festival will also have a QR code displayed before screenings for information on sharing resources or contributing to relief efforts.
“As hard as the last week has been, this will be a moment to come together,” Hernandez said. “The community’s really responding to support those who need it most right now. I think that’s going to be a profound aspect of this year’s festival.”
For the most part, yes. Starting in 2027 the festival will no longer be primarily based in Park City. It may stay in Utah but would operate mainly out of Salt Lake City. Other finalists are Boulder, Colorado, and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Sundance Institute is expected to announce its final decision in the first quarter of 2025.
“Park City as the home of Sundance is such a special place,” Hernandez said. “I look at it optimistically because we have two more exciting years in this current configuration. I think we’re going to make the most of those two years and make them as memorable and meaningful as we can.”
Access to the movies premiering at Sundance doesn’t necessary require an expensive trip to Park City anymore. The festival has fully embraced an online component for many of their films.
What started as a necessary COVID-19 adjustment has become a vital part of the program. From Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, audiences can stream much of the program online. Prices start at $35 for a single film ticket and go up to $800 for unlimited access.
Otherwise, films that secure distribution can take anywhere from a few weeks to over a year to hit theaters or streaming services. Steven Soderbergh's “Presence,” which premiered last January, is just hitting theaters this week.
For more coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival
The marquee of the Egyptian Theatre is shown Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)