Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a conference in Kiev that Russia's counterattack against the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk had not achieved any major success.
Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Kursk on August 6, entering Russian territory and claiming control of dozens of Russian settlements.
"Frankly speaking, the offensive has brought the results we expected. In the Kharkiv region, the enemy was stopped," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr. Zelensky said that Russia has about 40,000 troops on the Kursk front and has begun a counterattack.
On September 12, the Russian Ministry of National Defense said that the Russian army had recaptured 10 of the 100 villages in Kursk controlled by Ukraine.
President Zelensky acknowledged that the situation near the logistics center of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine remains difficult despite stabilizing over the past week. On September 13, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces were concentrating their attacks near the town of Kurakhove, about 33km south of Pokrovsk.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of National Defence said Russia had captured Dolynivka - located between Pokrovsk and Kurakhove - the latest in a series of localities it has taken control of in its slow advance in the Donetsk region.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s General Staff mentioned Dolynivka as one of several localities where fighting had broken out. But the popular Ukrainian military blog DeepState said Dolynivka had been under Russian control since September 2.
Kiev’s forces are stretched thin in the Donetsk region, according to Reuters. However, Ukraine has repelled 64 attacks near Kurakhove in the past day – the heaviest fighting there this month. In addition, 36 Russian attacks were repelled near Pokrovsk.
Previously, President Zelensky called the Kursk operation part of a "victory plan" that he wanted to discuss with US President Joe Biden later this month. "The plan can pave the way for a reliable peace - for the full implementation of the peace formula," Zelensky said on September 13. However, the Ukrainian leader refused to disclose the details of the plan.
Ukraine has stepped up calls for Western allies, especially the United States, to authorize long-range strikes on Russian territory to limit Moscow’s ability to attack Ukraine. So far, the allies have resisted authorizing such strikes, fearing that Russia would view them as an escalation.
