President Zelensky Claims Russia Has Collected 50 Thousand Troops To Carry Out Attacks In Northern Ukraine

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had amassed 50,000 troops near the Sumy region in northern Ukraine, saying Kyiv had taken steps to prevent Moscow from carrying out a massive attack there.

The power increase comes as Russia appears to be preparing for a summer offensive in Ukraine, while Kyiv is waiting for Moscow to deliver a memorandum describing its requirements to continue ceasefire talks.

"The largest and strongest of their troops are currently at the forefront of Kursk," President Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday.

"To push our troops out of the Kursk area and prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region," he continued.

Sumy is located across the border from Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine previously seized and controlled a plot of land for months, before being almost completely expelled last month, although it is said to still control some areas there.

Earlier, President Putin said he wanted a "banned zone" along Russia's border with Ukraine. President Zelensky said he believed Russia wanted a buffer zone of about 10 kilometers (6 miles).

Russia has captured at least four border villages in the region recently, and has been creeping forward slowly over the past few weeks in several front lines in eastern Ukraine near the city of Kostyantynvo.

However, President Zelensky said Russia had been pushed back in the area for 4 km (2.5 miles) for two days.

Ukraine and Russia exchanged 1.000 prisoners after a meeting of delegations from the two countries in Istanbul nearly two weeks ago that failed to produce a ceasefire requested by Ukraine, the United States, and Europe.

President Zelensky said he views Turkey, the Vatican and Switzerland as the most realistic places for further negotiations with Russia. He said interest in hosting talks had also been expressed by Malta, as well as unnamed African countries.