Zelenskyy: Ukraine Plans to Hold Russian Territory Until the War Is Over

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is planning to hold the captured Russian territories indefinitely, as this is part of the plan to win the war.

This was stated by Zelenskyy in an interview with NBC.

"We don’t need their land. We don’t want to bring our Ukrainian way of life there," said Zelenskyy. 

He noted that Ukraine will keep this territory under control, as it is important for implementing the Ukrainian plan to win the war, which will soon be presented to international partners, including the US.

“For now, we need it,” he said of the Russian territory that Ukraine is now holding.

Zelenskyy noted that he is not ready to speak about whether Ukraine is planning on seizing more Russian territories.

“I will not tell, I’m sorry, I can’t speak about it. It’s like the beginning of our, this, Kursk operation," he said. "With all respect, I can’t speak about it, I think the success is very close to surprise."

Ukraine’s President then elaborated on why Ukraine’s Kursk operation was kept a secret.

“Yes, we did not inform anyone. And it’s not the question of lack of trust,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv’s counteroffensive last summer failed in many ways because of how much it was advertised and talked about, giving Russians time to prepare.

Ukraine officially announced carrying out an operation in the Kursk region on August 12. Since the beginning of the operation in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine has captured at least 594 Russian soldiers and now controls over 100 settlements, covering an area of 1,294 square kilometers, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated on August 27.