Ukraine intends to maintain control over the Kursk region of Russia until Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to negotiate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with NBC News.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine's objective is not to occupy Russian land, but to restore its territorial integrity and his country will hold the seized Russian territory as part of his "plan for victory" in the ongoing conflict.
"We don’t want to bring our Ukrainian way of life there,” he said, adding that for "now, we need it."
He also said Ukraine has captured numerous Russian soldiers and plans to exchange them for Ukrainian prisoners of war, while keeping details of military operations discreet to avoid giving Russia time to prepare.
