'Important operation': Zelenskyy allows Kursk region's role in talks with Russia
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Kursk operation "very important." He also did not rule out the role of the Kursk region in negotiations with Russia, according to his statement after a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
"Tomorrow will mark exactly six months since the operation in the Kursk direction. A very important operation. You will see later, when we reach a diplomatic settlement to end the war, what conditions the Russians will face with regard to the Kursk direction," he said.
According to the president, the Kursk operation was a very important step.
"I don't like to throw around words like 'historical.' The entire life of Ukraine and its struggle is probably a historical path, and so I won't use this word for this operation. But it was definitely very important. And I am grateful to all the warriors who defend our territory, thanks to the Kursk operation as well," Zelenskyy said.
He also added that long-range weapons had struck several key targets in the Kursk region.
"We hit several very important military command points. And these are very serious steps. They are important. And I think they won’t be able to push us out of this territory in the near future, and this, like a magnet, is holding 60,000 of their soldiers in this direction," the president noted.
Zelenskyy also touched on the topic of significant Russian losses in the Kursk direction.
"The Russians have very heavy losses there. They significantly downplay them. Their Koreans are scattering, we can see that," the president stated.
Offensive by the Defense Forces in the Kursk region
Ukrainian military forces have been advancing in the Kursk region for almost six months. On February 3, the Ukrainian Air Force carried out a precision strike on a Russian command post in Novoivanovka.
It was recently reported that Russia had withdrawn North Korean troops from certain sectors in the Kursk region. In some areas, North Korean soldiers had not been observed for about three weeks. However, Defense Intelligence Head Kyrylo Budanov denied this information, stating that about 8,000 North Korean soldiers are still fighting on the front lines in the Kursk region, though in reduced numbers in recent times.
Regarding losses, Russian invaders lost more than 23,000 soldiers in the Pokrovsk direction and the Kursk region in January.
