Ukraine war briefing: Russia building non-negotiable ‘security zone’ inside Ukrainian border, Putin declares

According to Reuters, Putin spoke during a visit to a command post[1] and said the operation was a response to Ukraine's 2024-25 incursion into Russia's Kursk region. He said in televised comments that "the Russian armed forces were tasked not only with expelling the enemy from our land but also with establishing a security zone"[2] in the neighbouring territory.The Guardian quotes Putin as saying the goal is "to ensure the absolute security of Russia's border regions for the future"[2] and that Moscow does not plan to put the zone up for peace talks.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the planned security zone spanned 660 km (410 miles), of which 70% was currently under Russia's control[1]. Reuters notes that Peskov did not say how deep it would reach inside Ukraine.[1]According to Reuters, Putin also said Russian forces still had to capture just over 10% of the territory of Ukraine's Donetsk region, a key objective, and 16.5% of the Zaporizhzhia region.[1] Ukrainian outlet UNN stresses that these figures are claims made by the Russian side.[3]