The Russian president claimed that Kiev’s bid had the opposite effect, allowing Moscow to accelerate its offensive in eastern Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin has said for weeks that Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region was intended to slow down Russia’s advance in Ukraine’s Donbass region, but it has failed.
President Putin told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on Thursday that seizing Donbas was Moscow’s main objective in a full-scale war set to begin in 2022, and that any moves by Ukraine toward Russia’s border would only weaken Ukraine’s military on the rest of the front.
“The enemy’s goal was to make us worry and stop our offensive in key areas, especially in Donbas. The liberation of Donbas is our main goal,” he said.
“Did it work? No.”
Russian forces, which control 18% of Ukraine’s territory, have been advancing into eastern Ukraine since a 2023 counteroffensive in Kiev failed to make a major breakthrough.
Kursk Invasion
On August 6, the largest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War II took place. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers crossed the Russian border, supported by drones, heavy weapons, and artillery, some of which were produced in the West.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kursk attack was an attempt to draw Russia into war, force Putin to make peace and create a buffer zone to prevent a Russian attack on the neighboring Sumy region.
Ukrainian Supreme Commander General Oleksandr Sirsky said one of the goals of the Kursk offensive was to divert Russian forces to other areas, primarily the areas near Pokrovsk and Kurakhov in eastern Ukraine.
“By moving a fairly large and well-trained force with us to this border area, the enemy was weakened in key areas, and our troops accelerated their offensive operations,” Putin said. He called the Russian advance to Pokrovsk a success.
President Putin also said it was Russia’s “sacred duty” to drive out the invaders.
“Our military has stabilized the situation. [in Kursk] And it started to get more and more annoying [the enemy] “Get out of our territory,” he insisted.
President Putin rejected the idea of negotiations during the Kursk offensive, but later said he was ready for talks with Ukraine.
The president said the talks should build on a failed deal reached by negotiators from both countries in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2022, the terms of which were not disclosed.
“Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to negotiate. Not because of temporary demands, but on the basis of the documents agreed upon in Istanbul and actually signed,” Putin said.
The Kremlin has repeatedly insisted that Russia and Ukraine would reach a deal in 2022, shortly after Moscow launched its invasion.
“We have reached an agreement. That’s the point. The signature of the head of the Ukrainian delegation who signed this document proves this, which means that the Ukrainian side is generally satisfied with the agreement reached,” Putin said.
“It was not done because they were told not to do it,” Putin added. “The elites of the United States and Europe, some European countries, wanted to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia.”
There was no immediate reaction in Ukraine to Putin’s claims.
