Putin Claims Ukraine's Kursk Incursion Failed to Halt Russian Advance in Donbas

President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which has lasted for several weeks, was intended to slow the Russian advance in Ukraine’s Donbas region, but it has not succeeded. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin emphasized that capturing Donbas remains Moscow's primary objective in the full-scale war launched in 2022. He added that Ukraine's actions in Russian border regions have instead weakened Ukrainian forces along other parts of the front.

“The enemy aimed to cause concern and halt our offensive in key areas, particularly in Donbas, which is our main goal,” Putin said. “Did it succeed? No.”

Since Kyiv's 2023 counteroffensive failed to make significant breakthroughs, Russian forces, which control 18 percent of Ukrainian territory, have continued their advance in eastern Ukraine.

On August 6, in what was described as the largest foreign attack on Russian soil since World War II, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers crossed into the Russian border with the aid of drones, heavy weaponry, and artillery, some of which was Western-supplied. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explained the Kursk incursion as an effort to bring the war into Russia, force Putin towards peace, and create a buffer zone to stop attacks on Ukraine’s Sumy region. Ukraine’s top commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, noted that another objective was to divert Russian forces from the eastern front, particularly near Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.

Putin acknowledged that Ukraine's incursion resulted in Russia moving substantial, well-trained units to defend the Kursk region, weakening their position in key areas. However, he insisted that Russian advances, particularly around Pokrovsk, remained successful.

He also described Russia's mission to push out the invaders as a "sacred duty," claiming that Russian forces had stabilized the situation in Kursk and were gradually pushing Ukrainian troops out.

Putin reiterated his willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine, having previously dismissed negotiations while the Kursk offensive was ongoing. He emphasized that any discussions should be based on the terms of an earlier, unfinalized agreement reached in Istanbul in 2022, whose details were not disclosed.

“We have always been open to negotiations,” Putin said, “but not based on unrealistic demands. Talks should be founded on the documents agreed upon and initiated in Istanbul.”

According to Putin, the only reason the deal did not come to fruition was that external forces, particularly elites in the US and certain European countries, intervened with the aim of achieving a strategic defeat of Russia. There was no immediate response from Ukraine to Putin's statements.

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