Russia rules out negotiations after Ukrainian offensive on its soil

kyiv has claimed control of more than 1,250 square kilometers and 92 localities on Russian territory. Volodymyr Zelensky has said he wants to force the Kremlin to sit down for “fair” negotiations.

Russia ruled out any negotiations on Monday, August 19 “at this stage” with Ukraine after the ongoing cross-border offensive launched by kyiv nearly two weeks ago, while Russian troops continue their advance in eastern Ukraine. In a war of statements between Moscow and kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that his forces “reach [leurs] goals” in the Russian region of Kursk, where they launched an operation of unprecedented scale on August 6.

He claimed control by his forces of more than 1,250 km2 and 92 localities on Russian territory, slightly more than at the end of last week. He also confirmed that he had not informed his Western allies in advance of the preparation of the offensive on Russian territory, believing that their concerns “naive and illusory” as for an escalation with Moscow were now “in pieces”He explained that one of the goals of this surprise offensive is to force the Kremlin to sit down for negotiations. “fair”.

“We must force Russia, with all our strength and with our partners, to make peace.”

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian President

“At this stage, given this adventure, we will not discuss”however, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian media outlet Shot on Monday. “At this point it would be completely inappropriate to start a negotiation process.”he added.

Peace negotiations between Moscow and kyiv have been non-existent since spring 2022 and the failure of a first round of talks. Russia is demanding that Ukraine accept the annexation of part of its territory, while Volodymyr Zelensky believes that peace can only be possible if the Russian army withdraws completely. The Ukrainian president says he wants to develop a plan by November, the date of the presidential election in the United States, which would serve as the basis for a future peace summit to which the Kremlin should be invited.

While the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region has received much attention as it brought hostilities on a large scale to the attacker’s soil for the first time, the epicentre of the fighting remains Donbass in eastern Ukraine. The Russian army has announced that it has captured a new locality there “important”that of Zalizné, which had some 5,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion, in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

Volodymyr Zelensky has once again called on his Western allies to authorize the use of long-range missiles that they have delivered to his country, to strike targets on Russian territory, in order to:“stop the Russian advance” in the east. The capture of Zalizne comes as Russian forces, more numerous and better equipped, are also closing in on the town of Pokrovsk, an important logistics hub.