Putin Says Russia's Security Zone Inside Ukraine Will Not Be Negotiable

(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would not negotiate over its planned“security zone” inside Ukraine along the two countries' border, signalling that Moscow intends to maintain control over territory it considers necessary to protect its border regions.

Putin made the remarks Friday during a visit to a military command post, where he appeared in military uniform and addressed commanders. He said Russian forces had been ordered not only to expel Ukrainian troops from Russian territory but also to establish a security zone in adjacent Ukrainian territory. He described the operation as progressing successfully.

The Russian president linked the operation to Ukraine's 2024 incursion into Russia's western Kursk region. He said the objective was to ensure the long-term security of Russian border regions and added that Moscow did not intend to make the zone a subject of future peace negotiations with Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposed zone would extend for approximately 660 kilometres along the border and claimed that Russian forces currently controlled about 70 percent of it. The figures were provided by the Kremlin and have not been independently verified.

Putin's statement comes as diplomatic efforts to end the war remain uncertain. By declaring the proposed zone non-negotiable, Moscow is setting out a position that could complicate future discussions over territorial control and security arrangements.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continued. Reuters reported that Russian drones killed at least three people on Friday, struck shopping centres and disrupted electricity supplies after attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukrainian officials said hundreds of thousands of people in the northwest were initially left without power.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fighting has continued despite intermittent diplomatic initiatives and repeated calls for a negotiated settlement.

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