MOSCOW: Russia on Monday ruled out any peace talks with Ukraine despite Kyiv raising pressure on the Kremlin by claiming fresh advances in its offensive into Russian territory.
Ukraine sent troops and tanks over the border on August 6 in a surprise incursion two-and-half years after Russia launched its invasion and it says it makes new gains virtually each day.
The biggest attack on Russian soil since World War II has rattled Russia and penetrated several kilometres into Russia’s Kursk region. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine now controls over 1,250 square kilometres (480 square miles) and 92 settlements.
Zelensky said Ukraine was achieving its objectives, which officials previously said include stretching Russian forces, creating a “buffer zone” in Russian territory and seeking an end to the war on “fair” terms.
In a speech to ambassadors, Zelensky urged partner countries to allow the use of long-range weapons deep into Russia and to halt Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine. “Ukraine is separated from halting the advance of the Russian army on the front by only one decision we await from our partners: the decision on long-range capabilities,” Zelensky said. Delay gives “support for Russia’s offensive” in the eastern Donetsk region, he said. The incursion into Kursk would not have been necessary if Ukraine could use more powerful weapons to protect “citizens in border areas”, he added. –Agencies
