Ukraine’s counteroffensive not intended to attack Russian territory, Zelensky says
- The Washington Post cited documents from US intelligence leaks suggesting Ukraine considered capturing areas in Russia for bargaining in peace negotiations
- ‘We liberate our own legitimate territory … We have neither the time nor the strength [to attack Russia] … or the weapons’, Zelensky said about the report
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that his country is preparing a counteroffensive designed to liberate areas occupied by Russia, not to attack Russian territory.
Speaking during a news conference in Berlin, Zelensky said Ukraine’s goal is to free the territories within its internationally recognised borders.
The Washington Post cited previously undisclosed documents from a trove of US intelligence leaks suggesting that Zelensky has considered trying to capture areas in Russia proper for possible use as bargaining chips in peace negotiations to end the war launched by Moscow in February 2022. This would put him at odds with Western governments who have insisted that weapons they provide must not be used to attack targets in Russia.
Asked about the report, Zelensky said: “We don’t attack Russian territory, we liberate our own legitimate territory. We have neither the time nor the strength [to attack Russia]”, he said, according to an official interpreter. “And we also don’t have weapons to spare, with which we could do this”.
“We are preparing a counter-attack for the illegally occupied areas based on our constitutionally defined legitimate borders, which are recognised internationally,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president is visiting allies in search of further arms to help his country fend off the Russian invasion, and funds to rebuild what’s been destroyed by more than a year of devastating conflict.