Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that he “assessed the Kursk operation very positively.” “It is complex, but it is going according to plan,” he said. Ukrainian forces entered the Russian border region in early August.
– I assess it very positively. The operation is complex, but the most important thing is that it is going according to plan – the president said on Saturday Volodymyr Zelenskyasked about the offensive of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.
Zelensky explained that thanks to the entry of his country's troops into the Kursk region in Russia first of all, the possibilities of exchanging prisoners have increased. – Exchange reserves are growing and this is positive. Secondly, the Russian Federation's operations in the north have been stopped (Ukraine) – said the Ukrainian leader.
Plans to occupy Sum have been disrupted
The president noted that the Kursk operation prevented the Russians from surrounding the Sumy Oblast and disrupted plans to occupy the city of Sumy.
Zelensky rejected suggestions that the entry of Ukrainian troops into the border region would be a bargaining chip for Kiev in talks with Vladimir Putin. – What dialogue? We do not play any cards, we are very open to our partners – he assured.
According to the Ukrainian head of state, one of the goals of the operation in the Kursk region was to show the world who Putin really is.
– Those countries that did not understand before why he came to the territory of our country, now – I think – they understood it. But we also showed the (Russian) society what is more important to it: the occupation of Ukrainian territory or the defense of its own population – Zelensky said.
Putin “drops bombs on his own villages”
Zelensky assessed that it is more important for Putin to maintain foreign, Ukrainian territories than to defend his fellow citizens. “He does not think about how to protect his own people. He drops bombs on his own villages. Bravo to him for that,” the Ukrainian president said.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an offensive operation in Kursk Oblast on August 6. The Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Army, General Oleksandr Syrsky, reported that the area occupied by Ukrainian forces in the Oblast had increased to 1,263 square kilometers, and the number of settlements controlled by them had increased to 93.
Main image source: PAP/EPA