At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine’s incursion in the Kursk region aimed to slow down the Russian advance in Donbas, but ultimately failed. Putin stated that Russia’s main objective was to capture Donbas, and Ukraine’s actions only weakened its forces along the front. Russian forces have been advancing in eastern Ukraine since Kyiv’s failed 2023 counteroffensive. Putin also mentioned the successful Russian advance on Pokrovsk.
The Kursk incursion on August 6 saw Ukrainian soldiers crossing the Russian border with drones and heavy weaponry. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as an attempt to bring the war to Russia and force Putin to peace. General Oleksandr Syrskii, Ukraine’s top commander, said the objective was to divert Russian forces from other key areas like Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
Putin claimed Russia’s armed forces stabilized the situation in Kursk and were gradually expelling the invaders. He expressed readiness for talks with Ukraine based on a deal reached in Istanbul in 2022, which was never implemented. Putin accused the elites of the US and Europe of preventing the deal’s implementation to strategically defeat Russia.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine to Putin’s claims. The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that Russia and Ukraine were close to a deal in 2022 before Moscow’s invasion. Putin’s remarks at the forum shed light on Russia’s perspective on the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and the potential for future negotiations with Ukraine.
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Photo credit www.aljazeera.com