Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv is seeking to "transfer the war" into Russia, where Ukrainian forces have begun an incursion into the Kursk region, starting Tuesday, which has not been directly commented on by Kyiv so far. In his daily remarks, Zelensky stated, "Repeatedly, (the commander of the armed forces) has reported on the front lines, on our movements, and transferring the war to the territory of the aggressor... Ukraine proves that it is capable of applying the necessary pressure: pressure on the aggressor."
Zelensky had previously stated on Thursday that Russia "brought the war" to his country, and it should feel the consequences of its actions, coinciding with Kyiv's ground incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk. In his daily comments, Zelensky said, "Russia brought the war to our lands, and it must feel what it has done," without directly mentioning the incursion in Kursk.
Ukrainian officials have remained silent regarding the ongoing incursion for the third consecutive day, a silence Zelensky also maintained on Thursday, only noting that he received reports from the army commander and described military operations as "effective" and "what the country needs right now." He added, "Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals. We did not choose to achieve our goals in a war" that Russia began in February 2022. He continued: "We want to achieve our goals as soon as possible in times of peace, through a just peace. This will happen."
Zelensky had previously called for Russia to be invited to a second peace summit on Ukraine. Observers have speculated that Ukraine's goal of the ground incursion in Kursk is to seize territory and improve Kyiv's negotiating position in any future peace talks.
