Zelensky: The Kursk operation accomplished its task

President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the Kursk operation accomplished its task — it withdrew Russian troops from the Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy directions.

He said this at a meeting with journalists, Suspilne reports.

He thanked the military for this operation and noted that the situation in the area is currently difficult.

"It accomplished its task. First, the pressure on the Kharkiv direction eased, then they began to withdraw their troops from the Eastern direction. I think that the situation in the Pokrovsk direction is now stable, and it will be very difficult for them to find an opportunity to occupy Pokrovsk again," the president said.

Separately, Zelensky confirmed that during negotiations with the American delegation in Saudi Arabia, the issue of territories was discussed, although it was not included in the meetingʼs agenda.

"The American side goes into details and essence. For example, the city of Enerhodar [...] You canʼt just say: hereʼs the station for you, and the city is separate. I believe that the issue of territories is the most difficult after the issue of establishing a regime of silence," Zelensky noted.

What is happening in the Kursk region?

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported a new Russian offensive in Kursk on February 7. In early March, Russian propaganda actively promoted theses about the mass retreat of Ukrainian troops in Kursk and their encirclement by the Russian army.

On March 12, the General Staff confirmed significant Russian advances in the region, but rejected claims of encirclement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in this region the Russians are clearly trying to put maximum pressure on our troops. He added that the Ukrainian military command is “doing what it should do — saving the lives of our soldiers as much as possible”.

On March 14, the US President Donald Trump repeated Russian propaganda, claiming that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were currently completely surrounded by the Russian army and “in a very bad and vulnerable situation”. The General Staff denied the claim about the encirclement.

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