International Courant
The Russian president claims that Kiev’s supply had the alternative impact, permitting Moscow to speed up its offensive in jap Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine’s weeks-long invasion of Russia’s Kursk area is meant to gradual Russia’s advance into Ukraine’s Donbas area, however has failed.
Talking on the Japanese Financial Discussion board within the Russian metropolis of Vladivostok on Thursday, Putin mentioned that conquering the Donbas was Moscow’s most important objective within the large-scale struggle scheduled to start in 2022 and that Ukraine’s advance on Russia’s border areas had solely weakened forces alongside the remainder of the entrance.
“The enemy’s purpose was to fret us … and to cease our assault on key areas, particularly within the Donbas, the liberation of which is our major objective,” he mentioned.
“Did it work? No.”
Russian forces, which management 18 p.c of Ukraine, have been advancing in jap Ukraine since Kiev’s failed counteroffensive in 2023, which didn’t make a major breakthrough.
Invasion of Kursk
On August 6, within the largest international assault on Russian territory since World Warfare II, hundreds of Ukrainian troopers broke by the Russian border, aided by swarms of drones, heavy weapons and artillery, a few of it Western-made.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned the assault on Kursk was an try and deliver the struggle to Russia, drive Putin to make peace and create a buffer zone to forestall Russian assaults on the neighboring Sumy area.
Ukraine’s high commander, Basic Oleksandr Syrskii, mentioned one of many targets of the assault on Kursk was to divert Russian troops from different areas, primarily in jap Ukraine, close to Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
“By transferring fairly giant and well-trained models to those border areas with us, the enemy weakened itself in key areas, and our forces accelerated offensive operations,” Putin mentioned. He mentioned the Russian advance to Pokrovsk was profitable.
Putin additionally mentioned it was Russia’s “sacred responsibility” to drive out the invaders.
“Our forces have stabilized the scenario (in Kursk) and step by step started to drive (the enemy) out of our territory,” he claimed.
Putin mentioned he was prepared for talks with Ukraine, after beforehand rejecting the thought of negotiations whereas the Kursk offensive was underway.
The president mentioned the talks must be based mostly on an deserted deal between negotiators from each international locations reached in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2022, the phrases of which have been by no means made public.
“Are we prepared to barter with them? Now we have by no means refused to take action, however not on the idea of some fleeting calls for, however on the idea of the paperwork that have been agreed in Istanbul and really initialed,” Putin mentioned.
The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed that Russia and Ukraine have been on the verge of reaching a deal in 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its invasion.
“We managed to achieve an settlement, that is the entire level. The signature of the pinnacle of the Ukrainian delegation who initialed this doc testifies to this, which signifies that the Ukrainian facet was usually glad with the agreements reached,” Putin mentioned.
“It got here into drive not solely as a result of they have been ordered not to do that, as a result of the elites of america, Europe – some European international locations – needed to deliver a couple of strategic defeat of Russia,” Putin added.
There was no quick response from Ukraine to Putin’s claims.
Ukraine did not halt Russian advance in Donbas with Kursk invasion: Putin | Information about Russia-Ukraine struggle
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