Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago2 min read
Putin Announces Russia Building 660-Kilometer Security Zone Inside Ukraine, Rejects Talks With Kyiv
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Russia is creating a 660-kilometer security zone inside Ukraine along the border, non-negotiable. Putin says the security zone will not be part of future peace talks with Kyiv.
Non-negotiable buffer zone
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow is establishing a military "security zone" inside Ukrainian border territory and said it would be non-negotiable in any future peace negotiations with Kyiv. Putin linked the move to Ukraine's 2024-25 incursion into Russia's western Kursk region, saying Russian forces were tasked not only with expelling the enemy but also with establishing the zone in adjacent territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the planned security zone spanned 660 km, with 70% currently under Russia's control. Putin said the operation was being carried out successfully during a visit to a command post, and he framed the goal as ensuring the absolute security of Russia's border regions for the future.
Strikes and truce tensions
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposed security zone would extend 660 kilometers along the border, of which 450 kilometers are currently under Russia's control.
Putin said Russian forces continue strikes against the industrial military complex and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in response to Kyiv's strikes on oil refineries and industrial facilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday a ceasefire on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine, but both countries accused each other of violating the truce.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will resume the strikes after a three-day halt, while the Kremlin said Russia was continuing contacts with the US concerning the truce.
What comes next
Putin told commanders that Russia's goal was to guarantee the absolute security of Russia's border regions for the future and that Moscow does not plan to make the security zone a subject of potential peace negotiations with Ukraine. Valery Gerasimov briefed Putin that Moscow has begun launching "massive" strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure and said a list of these facilities had been established along with assets required to strike them.
Gerasimov claimed Russian troops reached the outskirts of Kramatorsk, the provisional seat of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, and he said fighting continued in Druzhkivka just south of Kramatorsk. Gerasimov also reported the "destruction" of 2,000 encircled Ukrainian troops in the northeastern part of Kharkiv region, as Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment and independent verification was difficult due to the ongoing war.