Ukraine’s cross-border incursion into Russian territory was required to persuade the Kremlin to begin a “fair negotiation process,” the Ukrainian presidential adviser said on Friday.
Ukrainian soldiers entered Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, making their largest incursion into enemy territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv has no interest in occupying Russian territories but has to force Moscow to start talks on Ukraine’s terms.
The assault in Kursk, which marks the first invasion of Russia by a foreign force since World War II, has changed the narrative around the campaign waged by the Kremlin against Ukraine.
“We need to inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia,” Podolyak wrote on the Telegram messaging service.
“In the Kursk region, we clearly see how the military tool is objectively used to convince the Russian Federation to enter into a fair negotiation process.”
Senior Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected in any peace agreement.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014.
The invasion, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties.
According to media reports, Moscow now controls about 18% of Ukrainian territory.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said Kyiv has no interest in occupying Russian territories but has to force Moscow to start talks on Ukraine’s terms.
The assault in Kursk, which marks the first invasion of Russia by a foreign force since World War II, has changed the narrative around the campaign waged by the Kremlin against Ukraine.
“We need to inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia,” Podolyak wrote on the Telegram messaging service.
“In the Kursk region, we clearly see how the military tool is objectively used to convince the Russian Federation to enter into a fair negotiation process.”
Senior Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected in any peace agreement.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014.
The invasion, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties.
According to media reports, Moscow now controls about 18% of Ukrainian territory.
Source: Reuters
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