Kremlin Says Establishing Buffer Zone in Ukraine Will Take Time

JAKARTA - A senior Russian official said on Wednesday that the country's military was still working to establish a buffer zone in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, saying it would take time.

President Vladimir Putin said in May that Russia was creating a buffer zone to protect its border regions, especially Belgorod, which is located next to Kharkiv, from Ukrainian attacks.

"Of course, the realization of this task takes time, it takes time. Work in this direction is underway," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked how long it would take Russia to ensure Belgorod's security, Reuters reported on July 10.

The border town of Shebekino and the wider Belgorod region have been attacked frequently by Ukrainian missiles and drones during the war, which is now in its third year.

In May, Putin said Russian troops advancing in northeastern Ukraine were establishing a buffer zone to protect Russia from attack. Putin said Russian troops were advancing as planned after repeated deadly Ukrainian attacks on Russia's Belgorod region.

"Regarding what happened in the direction of Kharkiv. This is their (Ukraine's) fault because they fired and unfortunately continue to fire on residential areas in the border areas, including Belgorod," President Putin said.

"Civilians are dying there. That's clear. They are shooting directly at the city center, in residential areas. And I say openly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. That's what we are doing," President Putin continued.