Mikhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said today that the cross-border entry of Kiev forces into Russia's Kursk region is was necessary to convince Moscow to start honest negotiations, reported Reuters.
He pointed out that Ukraine has no interest in occupying the city of Kursk, but it should force Russia to start negotiations on Kiev's terms.
"We must inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia," Podoliak wrote in the "Telegram" application. "In the Kursk region, we clearly see how the military tool is being purposefully used to convince the Russian Federation to enter into a process of honest negotiations," Zelensky's advisor also states.
Ukraine launched a cross-border attack on Russia last week and captured part of the Kursk region.
High-ranking Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that the inviolability and territorial integrity of Ukraine should be fully taken into account in any peace agreement.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls 18 percent of the territory of the neighboring country, Reuters recalls.