President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine intends to hold captured territories in Russia's Kursk Oblast for an "unlimited time" to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, NBC News reported on 3 September.
In an interview with NBC News, Zelenskyy outlined this strategy as part of Ukraine's "victory plan." He emphasized that holding these territories is necessary, though he clarified that Ukraine does not seek Russian land in the long term.
"For now, we need it," Zelenskyy said, adding, “We don’t need their land. We don’t want to bring our Ukrainian way of life there,”
The Ukrainian leader refused to discuss whether the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) plan to capture more Russian territory.
"I won't say, I'm sorry, I can't talk about it. It's like the beginning of our Kursk operation. With all due respect, I can't talk about it. I think success is very close to surprise," Zelenskyy said.
According to the president, the administration of US President Joe Biden was unaware of the Kursk operation, which was kept strictly confidential within Ukraine itself.
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