Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast has failed to distract Russian forces from the frontline in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Russia continues to make steady gains.
“The enemy’s goal was to make us nervous and worry and to transfer troops from one sector to another and stop our offensive in key areas, primarily in the Donbas,” Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. “Did it work or no? No.”
Russian forces have been making more rapid gains in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast since Ukraine launched the invasion of Kursk on August 6. Russian advances in August marked Moscow’s biggest territorial gains in Ukraine since October 2022.
“The enemy weakened itself in key areas, and our troops accelerated offensive operations,” Putin said. “Most importantly, no actions are taking place to contain our offensive.”
Russian forces have been closing in on the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, which served as a key hub for the Ukrainian military. Pokrovsk authorities ordered civilians to evacuate from the city, and according to The New York Times, the last evacuation train left this week. More than 26,000 civilians, including 1,000 children, have been forced to flee.
Ukrainian officials have said one purpose of the Kursk offensive was to gain territory that could be used as leverage in future peace talks. In response to the invasion, Putin and other Russian officials ruled out peace talks. However, on Thursday, Putin suggested he was still open to negotiations.
“Are we ready to negotiate with them? We have never refused to do so,” Putin said. “However, not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, but on the basis of the documents that were agreed upon and inked in Istanbul.”
Putin was referring to talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators that were held in Istanbul in March 2022. At the time, a peace deal was on the table, but it was discouraged by the US and its Western allies, who encouraged Ukraine to fight.
