The operation in Kursk, the situation in Pokrovsk, and the possibility of dialogue with Putin: the main points of Zelenskyy's press conference

As part of the forum "Ukraine 2024. Independence" forum on August 27 in Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with representatives of domestic and foreign media. He lifted the veil of secrecy surrounding Ukraine's operation in Kursk, its goals, course, and consequences, and also mentioned the situation on the hottest frontline in Ukraine – Pokrovske.

In addition, the President answered a number of other questions, including the fate of the Crimean bridge illegally built by the occupiers, and commented on the sensitive topic of potential negotiations with Russia. OBOZ.UA has compiled the key theses of the head of state, which he voiced during his conversation with journalists.

Crimean Bridge: has the countdown begun?

During the press conference, OBOZ.UA had the opportunity to ask Zelenskyy a question. So our correspondent reminded Zelenskyy about the statement of the head of the GUR Kirill Budanov that the Crimean Bridge would be destroyed "sooner or later." And she asked the president to at least hint when the illegal structure might cease to exist.

Hearing the question, the head of state laughed.

"The DIU knows how to surprise the information space. It is true. I think so: if we want something to happen, sooner or later, we need to make it happen and then say so," Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk: why Ukraine launched an operation in the enemy's territory and what it will bring

The Head of State rejected accusations that the Armed Forces' operation in Kursk region in the context of Russian advance in Donetsk region was a dubious decision. Zelenskyy emphasized that it is the success of Ukrainian soldiers on Russian territory that will ultimately bring peace closer. Moreover, this operation is part of a broader plan by which Ukraine plans to win.

"Kursk region is part of our plan for Ukraine's victory... One of the areas, part of which has already been done, is Kursk region. The second direction is Ukraine's strategic place in the world's security infrastructure. The third is a powerful package to force Russia to end the war through diplomatic means. The fourth is economic," the President said.

Zelenskyy added that he plans to present the plan to U.S. President Joe Biden in September, as Ukraine's ability to implement its plans largely depends on the United States. The plan will also be shared with both presidential candidates – Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party and Donald Trump of the Republican Party.

At the same time, the head of state revealed some of the goals that Ukraine set and achieved by launching the Kursk operation. According to him, it is primarily about the fact that the activity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kursk region allowed to stop the Russian offensive in the north of Kharkiv region and prevent the creation of the Kremlin's dream "buffer zones" along the entire northern border of Ukraine. After all, data from both Ukrainian and partner intelligence showed that Russia could be preparing an invasion not only of Kharkiv region, but also, with a high probability, of Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

In addition, Russia, faced with the need to stop the advance of Ukrainian forces in Kursk region, was forced to begin withdrawing some units from the Ukrainian fronts, in particular from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. In the Donetsk region, which has been a strategic goal of the Kremlin since 2014, the occupiers have not yet withdrawn their troops. However, they may eventually be forced to do so. Here, according to Zelenskyy, a significant role will be played by how long the Kursk operation will last.

Peace talks: Is Kyiv ready to talk to Moscow?

Kyiv does not completely rule out the possibility of negotiations with Russia to end the war in the future. However, under no circumstances will Ukraine make concessions to its territories.

"I am not ready to exchange our territories as part of any negotiations. This is the first thing. It is difficult, really, because this decision will really depend on the support of our colleagues. I hope they will work further and faster," Zelenskyy said.

At the same time, the head of state considers it impossible to have a dialogue with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, because this man has never fulfilled any promises he made or obligations he undertook.

"The whole world would like to hear that Ukraine has found a compromise. But compromises are impossible with Putin. Dialogue with him today is empty and meaningless because he does not seek a diplomatic end to the war," Zelenskyy said when asked what victory means to him.

The most massive Russian attack in the entire war: the President spoke about the enemy's crime and the participation of F-16s in repelling the attack

The press conference held on August 27 could not pass without mentioning the most massive Russian attack on Ukraine that took place the day before. Thus, the head of state said that during the latest shelling of Ukraine, Russia had launched 230 strikes. The defense system worked, but serious damage to the power system could not be avoided. Therefore, power supply restrictions are currently being recorded, but, according to the President, the situation will be resolved.

"As for the details regarding the destruction of hydroelectric power plants or other things... I don't support it when the enemy knows what kind of damage they have caused to Ukraine, the energy system, etc. There are details that the whole world should know about what Russia is doing here, on our land... But the condition of our facilities and what we are doing there now - let it be in silence," Zelenskyy said.

At the same time, the President said that Western F-16 fighters, which recently appeared in the Ukrainian sky, were involved in repelling the enemy attack. And they proved highly effective in protecting Ukrainians from Russian terror.

"F-16s are a very, very good result. We have talked about it a lot, but already within the framework of this huge missile attack, we have shot down some missiles with the help of F-16s. We thank our partners for providing us with this F-16," he emphasized.

However, Zelenskyy added, the available aircraft are still too few. Ukraine also needs to continue training pilots for these fighters, and the President expressed hope for further support from the United States in this area.

"Of course, this is not enough, we do not have many of them, and we still need to train pilots. We have proposals to the United States, it actually depends on their permission. They should look at it positively and realistically because we are talking about our territories, not the American ones," Zelenskyy summarized.

Ukraine continues to arm itself: President announces successful test of Ukraine's first ballistic missile

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had successfully tested the first ballistic missile of its own production. He noted that he could not go into details about the new development for obvious reasons, but emphasized that society should be grateful to those compatriots who work at Ukrainian defense companies.

"I would like to see a public assessment of our people who work 24/7 at defense enterprises. There was a positive test of the first Ukrainian ballistic missile. I congratulate our defense industry on this. I can no longer share details about this missile," Zelenskyy said.

How the state plans to return home Ukrainians who fled the war abroad

The President noted that there are currently about 7.5 million citizens of our country abroad who were forced to leave Ukraine after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. The state is interested in not losing these people. However, Ukrainians should return to their homeland of their own free will, not under duress.

Therefore, the state is making efforts to create conditions for the return of its citizens. In particular, to provide them with jobs.

At the same time, according to Zelenskyy, many of those citizens of our country who chose to stay abroad lost their loved ones in the war.

"First of all, this applies to Poland and Germany, where most of our Ukrainians are. I believe that today we need to develop a policy for this institution and make a decision in the fall... "I am only in favor of Ukrainians coming, but only without coercion. There is an important point here, and I have raised this issue: there are Ukrainians who work in Germany, Poland, and other countries. And there are Ukrainians who do not work. I do not want to characterize Ukrainians who do not work there, but it is clear that it is politically advantageous to spend financial aid on the third year of the war rather than send them to Ukraine," the president emphasized.

The President announced the start of rotations of units at the front and the "strengthening of Pokrovsk"

The head of state also made an important announcement regarding the rotation of the military at the front. According to him, although the rotations are not yet fundamental, they are a significant progress.

The presence of rotations on the front line, Zelenskyy emphasized, is the first step towards providing better conditions for the military and increasing their effectiveness in combat.

"The number of people who have started training has increased. This will greatly help the guys to have at least some rotations. This is the first time any rotations have started. I cannot call it fundamental rotations yet. But I'll be honest: it's a start, and it's very important. And we are constantly talking about strengthening Pokrovsk," Zelenskyy said.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that during the forum, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke about the successes in the Kursk region and explained whether this affected the situation near Pokrovsk. According to him, Ukrainian soldiers continue to advance on Russian territory.

Meanwhile, the Russian military command is deploying reserves to Kursk region, hoping to hold back the advance of Ukrainian troops, but so far the units are being withdrawn not from Donetsk region, but from other, less priority areas of the Ukrainian front for Moscow.

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