Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military has begun establishing a so-called “security buffer zone” along the border within Ukraine. In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that a buffer zone “can be on Russian territory,” pointing to ongoing Ukrainian military actions in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Speaking at a government meeting, Putin claimed the decision had been made and said Russian forces are “actively suppressing enemy fire points” while working to build the buffer zone, according to The Mocow Times.
Ukraine accuses Russia of blocking peace efforts
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized in his commentary to journalists that Putin’s remarks clearly identify him as the main obstacle to peace and the continuation of the war, Suspilne reported.
“These words prove visibly that it is Putin, it is Russia, who is the obstacle to peace efforts now,” Tykhyi said, stressing the need for increased international pressure on Moscow.
Kyiv noted that Russia had refused to consider recent international proposals for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire with the possibility of extension.
Kremlin remains vague on plans
Putin did not clarify where exactly the proposed buffer zone would be established or how it would be enforced. However, he referred to the need for reconstruction in Russia’s Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk Oblasts, Suspilne reported.
Militarnyi noted that this is not the first time Russia has floated the idea of a “sanitary” or “buffer” zone. Similar statements were made by Russian authorities in June 2023.
Russia keeps demanding that Ukraine cede territory
Previously, during closed-door Kyiv-Moscow low-level negotiations in Istanbul on 16 May, the Russian delegation demanded official recognition of Moscow’s control over all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts — including areas it does not currently occupy. Moscow also reportedly threatened to launch new offensives to seize Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts if Ukraine refused. Russian representatives reportedly claimed they are ready to fight “however long it takes.”
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has previously noted that the Russian forces are unlikely to capture Sumy City or Oblast soon, given their struggles to take even smaller Ukrainian towns in the last three years.
Russia’s Sumy ambitions unlikely to succeed soon, says ISW
Kremlin’s long-term goals remain unchanged
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi earlier stated that Moscow’s strategic goals have not shifted: full control over four Ukrainian Oblasts and the establishment of buffer zones across Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv Oblasts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also previously warned of Russia’s plans to resume offensive operations in three directions: Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia.
Zelenskyy characterized Moscow’s use of negotiations as a tactic to stall for time and weaken international support for Ukraine.
