Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called on his country’s armed forces to push back Ukrainian units after their surprise offensive deep into the southern Kursk region.
“The main task of the Defense Ministry now is to drive the enemy out of our territories and ensure reliable border security,” Putin said at the opening of a meeting on the crisis, Russian news agencies reported.
The 71-year-old president added that the leadership in Kiev wanted to strengthen its future negotiating position with the attack on Russian territory “with the help of its Western masters”.
However, he ruled out any talks on ending the war that began in February 2022 with a large-scale Russian invasion of the neighboring country.
“What kind of negotiations can we even talk about with people who indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure or try to endanger nuclear power plants?” state news agency TASS quoted Putin as saying.
Following Sunday’s fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, both sides are currently blaming each other for the incident.
Under pressure from increasing Russian military advances in the eastern regions, Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Russian territory on Tuesday.
The situation in the Kursk region remains confusing. However, it appears that Ukrainian troops have advanced some 30 kilometers across the international border, while Russian units are confusedly playing off each other to respond.
According to reports, Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks, have been deployed in many places, while Russian authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of residents.
