President Zelensky's Adviser Says Attacks In Kursk Are Important To Convincing Russia To Negotiate, Not Occupancy

Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podolyak's adviser. (Twitter/@Podolyak_M)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podolyak's adviser said on Friday Kyiv's cross-border attack on Kursk, Russia was needed to convince Moscow to initiate fair peace negotiations.

"We need to give Russia a significant tactical defeat," Podolyak wrote on Telegram.

"In the Kursk area, we clearly see how military tools are objectively used to convince the Russian Federation to enter a fair negotiation process," he explained.

Pressured by Podolyak, Ukraine is not interested in occupying Kursk, but must force Russia to initiate negotiations according to Kyiv requirements.

Earlier, Podolyak said Russia should be forced to participate in the summit of peace as they will not do so voluntarily.

Podolyak told national TV Tuesday that one of the methods of coercion was an act on the battlefield, referring to an unprecedented cross-border Ukraine attack on Russia's Kursk region.

"Simple calls to Russia will not work, only a set of forcing tools will succeed," he said, meaning economic and diplomatic pressure.

He added, with action in Russia's border region, Ukraine is resolving its own main safety concerns.

"This is the destruction of war infrastructure and the formation of so-called sanitation zones so Russia cannot use there, equipment that attacks deep into Ukrainian territory," he said.

Ukraine launched a cross-border attack on Russia last week and occupied parts of the Kursk region.

Senior Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be fully respected in any peace treaty.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls about 18 percent of its territory.