Moscow: Ukraine’s “provocation” in Russia’s Kursk region has failed to stop the Russian military advance in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. Putin, on a trip to Russia’s Tuva region, said Russian forces were recapturing territory in the Donbass “by square kilometers” and that the Ukrainian incursion force in the Kursk region “will be attacked.”
“If hostilities are stopped, the Ukrainian authorities will be forced to lift martial law. Immediately after lifting it, they will have to hold presidential elections. The current (Ukrainian) authorities are not ready for this. The chances of re-election are very slim for them. That is why they are not interested in stopping the war. That is why they started a provocation in the Kursk region and earlier attempted a similar provocation in the Belgorod region,” Putin said.
“The enemy did not achieve its main objective”: Putin
“The goal was to stop our offensive in the main areas of Donbass. The result is known, yes, our people are facing a severe test, especially in the Kursk region. But the enemy has not achieved its main goal of stopping our offensive in Donbass,” he added.
The Russian president said he preferred peace talks, but added that his armed forces had to confront the bandits who had entered Russian territory. “I am sure that this provocation will also fail. And I think that after that there will be a sincere desire to move to peace talks to resolve these problems by peaceful means. We have never refused this. But, of course, we have to confront the bandits who have entered the territory of the Russian Federation.”
The Russian leader met with students in Kyzyl, the capital of the Tuva Republic in southeastern Siberia. He spoke during an “open class” dubbed “Talking about important things” – the format introduced in Russian schools after Moscow launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine. The aim is to familiarize students with traditional Russian values and morals and educate them in the spirit of Russian patriotism.
(With contributions from the agency)
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