Ukraine 'not interested' in taking Russian territory with Kursk operation, foreign ministry says
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday Kyiv's cross-border operation into Russia was aimed at protecting Ukrainian land from long-range strikes launched from Kursk.
“Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters.
He said that Russia had launched more than 2,000 strikes from the Kursk region in recent months using anti-aircraft missiles, barrel artillery, mortars, drones, 255 glide bombs, and more than 100 missiles.
Ukraine’s Western partners have said the country has the right to defend itself, including by attacking across the border.
“Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people,” foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters.
He said that Russia had launched more than 2,000 strikes from the Kursk region in recent months using anti-aircraft missiles, barrel artillery, mortars, drones, 255 glide bombs, and more than 100 missiles.
Ukraine’s Western partners have said the country has the right to defend itself, including by attacking across the border.
Transcript
00:00Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not need foreigners.
00:05Ukraine is not interested in taking the territory of the Kursk region, but we want to protect the lives of our people.
00:15I just want to remind you that, in particular, in the Kursk region, only since the beginning of this summer,
00:21and only in the regions of our Sumy region, more than 2,000 strikes have been made.
00:28This is the Russian Air Force, this is gun artillery, mortars, drones, 255 guided air bombs, more than a hundred missiles.
00:37Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have enough, you have already asked about this,
00:40enough opportunities to deliver long-range strikes with all the weapons that are available.
00:46In order to protect ourselves from this terror, there are no such decisions yet, which we rely on.
00:53Therefore, there is a need, with the help of the Armed Forces, to evacuate these border areas from the Russian military contingents,
01:03which are targeting Ukraine.