[Korrespondent] 22:09 Zelensky said in an evening video address that he held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters, where, in particular, he heard Syrsky's report on the front and the operation in the Kursk region. "The Pokrovsk direction is a decision to strengthen positions. Active actions in the Kursk region continue to replenish the exchange fund for our state," the president said.
21:21 Zelensky told NBC News that Ukraine intends to keep control of part of the Kursk region, since it is an integral part of the "victory plan" to end the war. The president explained that in this way, Kiev wants to force Putin to sit down at the negotiating table. "We do not need their land. We do not want to bring our Ukrainian way of life there," Zelensky emphasized. He added that Kiev will present its plan to international partners, including the United States.
At the same time, Zelensky refused to say whether Ukraine plans to try to seize even more Russian territory: "I won't say, sorry, I can't talk about it. It's like the beginning of our Kursk operation."