Ukraine's presidential aide says Kursk operation linked to possible peace talks

Kyiv: Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Friday that Ukraine's operation in western Russia's Kursk region is linked to possible peace talks between the two countries.

"In the Kursk region, we can clearly see how the military tool is being used objectively to persuade the Russian Federation to enter a fair negotiation process," Podolyak said on social media X, formerly Twitter.

Ukraine is not interested in occupying Russian territories, he said.

Ukraine's military actions in the Kursk region may influence public opinion in Russia regarding the conflict, Podolyak said.

"Negative changes in the psychological state of the Russian population will be another argument for the start of negotiations," he added, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ukraine started a military operation in the Kursk region on Aug. 6.

Ukraine's attacks on Russia's border will receive a "worthy response," with the Russian military's primary task being to remove the Ukrainian forces from Russian territories, President Vladimir Putin said earlier this week.

On Aug. 15, Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Ukraine had taken control of 82 settlements in the conflict-hit region.