That’s because one of Trump’s proposals is for Ukraine and Russia to agree to an armistice along the current front line. And the current front line threads through southern and eastern Ukraine before looping into Kursk, where a powerful Ukrainian force invaded back in August.

Russian marines, together with the North Korean military, launched an offensive in the Kursk region on November 7. But they suffered losses, according to Forbes. “Russian marines apparently backed by North Korean reinforcements threw themselves at Ukrainian positions in Kursk Oblast in western Russia on Thursday,

The upper house of Russian parliament has ratified a treaty with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance.