Russia rules out negotiations after Ukrainian offensive on its soil

Russia on Monday ruled out any negotiations “at this stage” with Ukraine after the ongoing cross-border offensive launched by Kiev nearly two weeks ago, while Russian troops continue their advance in eastern Ukraine.

In a war of statements between Moscow and Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that his forces “are achieving (their) objectives” in the Russian region of Kursk, where they launched an operation of unprecedented scale on August 6.

He claimed control by his forces of more than 1,250 km2 and 92 localities on Russian territory, slightly more than at the end of last week.

Mr. Zelensky also confirmed that he had not informed his Western allies in advance of the preparation of the offensive on Russian territory, considering that their “naive and illusory” concerns about an escalation with Moscow were now “in pieces”.

“We must force Russia, with all our strength and with our partners, to make peace,” he added, with kyiv claiming that one of the goals of this surprise offensive is to force the Kremlin to sit down for “fair” negotiations.

Russia: the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Cléa PECULIER, Paz PIZARRO

“At this stage, given this adventure, we will not discuss,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic advisor, Yuri Ushakov, declared Monday to the Russian media Shot.

“At this time, it would be completely inappropriate to begin a negotiation process,” he added.

Peace negotiations between Moscow and kyiv have been non-existent since spring 2022 and the failure of a first series of talks.

Russia demands that Ukraine accept the annexation of part of its territory while Volodymyr Zelensky believes that peace can only be possible if Russian army withdraws completely.

The Ukrainian president says he wants to develop a plan by November, the date of the presidential election in the United States, that would serve as the basis for a future peace summit to which the Kremlin should be invited.

– Forced evacuations –

While the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region has received a lot of attention by bringing hostilities on a large scale to the attacker's soil for the first time, the epicentre of the fighting remains Donbass, in eastern Ukraine.

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The Russian army announced on Monday that it had captured a new “important” locality, that of Zalizné, which had some 5,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion, in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk (is).

Mr. Zelensky has once again called on his Western allies to authorize the use of the long-range missiles that they have delivered to his country, to strike targets on Russian territory, in order to “stop the Russian advance” in the east.

The capture of Zalizné (Artiomovo in Russian) comes as Russian forces, more numerous and better equipped, are also approaching the city of Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub.

Rescuers clear the rubble of a house destroyed by a strike in Bilopillya, near the Russian border, in the Ukrainian region of Sumy, on August 18, 2024 © AFP – Genya SAVILOV

After Russian forces captured towns near Pokrovsk in recent days, the regional governor announced on Monday “the forced evacuation of families with children” from this town, which has more than 53,000 inhabitants, including nearly 4,000 children.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian strikes killed four more people in two separate attacks in towns located near the front line, Toretsk and Zarichne.

– “Buffer zone” –

In Russia's Kursk region, kyiv said Sunday it had destroyed a second bridge, helping to reduce the possibility of reinforcements or withdrawal of the Russian contingent stationed south of the Seim River.

The hostilities have already forced tens of thousands of people to flee the border area in both countries.

Russian local authorities have also declared a state of emergency in the city of Proletarsk in southwestern Russia, where a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday caused fuel stocks to catch fire. According to the regional governor, 41 firefighters were injured, 18 of whom had to be hospitalized, including five in intensive care.

On the diplomatic front, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected in Ukraine on Friday, where he is expected to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, after meeting Vladimir Putin in early July.

This will be Mr Modi's first state visit to Ukraine, whose country is a close partner of Moscow.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will travel to Russia and Belarus this week, amid growing economic and diplomatic cooperation between Beijing and Moscow.

Despite its intention to cut its budgetary spending in favor of kyiv in 2025, Germany, second largest contributor after the United States, assured on Monday that it remained “fully committed” to its military support for Ukraine.

To compensate for this reduction, Berlin is counting on providing Ukraine with a loan of 50 billion dollars guaranteed by future interest generated by frozen Russian assets.

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