Ukraine is planning to "indefinitely" hold the seized territories of Russia's Kursk Oblast as it tries to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News aired on Sept. 3.
He described the Kursk operation as one of "the stages to end the war," saying it is related to Ukraine's second peace summit. "For now, we need it," he said, referring to the seized territories in Russia.
As Kyiv's incursion into Kursk Oblast enters its fourth week, Ukraine reportedly controls over 1,290 square kilometers (500 square miles) and 100 settlements, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Aug. 27.
Ukrainian soldiers also have reportedly taken over 600 Russian captives.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Francis Farrell
"We don’t need their land. We don’t want to bring our Ukrainian way of life there," Zelensky said in the interview.
Ukraine's president reiterated that captured territories during the ongoing Kursk operation are part of Kyiv's "victory plan," which he wants to present to the U.S. in September.
The other items include Ukraine's participation in the global security infrastructure, pressuring Russia to end the war through diplomatic means, and an economic aspect, Zelensky said in late August without revealing any details.
Zelensky refused to say whether Ukraine plans to seize more Russian territory.
Moscow has redeployed about 30,000 of its troops from other sectors to the Kursk direction, "and this number is growing," Syrskyi said on Aug. 27. At the same time, Russia deployed its most combat-ready units in the Pokrovsk sector, which has been the scene of fierce fighting for several months.
Dinara Khalilova
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