News - Ukraine plans to indefinitely hold Russia territory it has seized, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC News on Tuesday that Kyiv is planning to indefinitely hold Russian territories it seized in a surprise incursion last month as it tries to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, NBC News reports. Zelenskyy noted that keeping these Russian territories is an integral part of the plan to end the war. Kyiv will soon present that plan to its allies, including Washington, he added. “For now, we need it,” Zelenskyy said of the territory Ukraine is now holding in Russia. The Ukrainian president, however, did not answer the journalist's question whether Ukraine was going to occupy even more Russian lands. “I will not tell, I’m sorry,” Zelenskyy said. “With all respect, I can’t speak about it. I think the success is very close to surprise.” The Armed Forces of Ukraine, which launched an unexpected and swift attack on Kursk Region of Russia on August 6, currently control about 1,300 square kilometers and 100 settlements of the region. And on August 29, it became known that the Ukrainian military surrounded 3,000 Russian soldiers.