The influential adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyj, Mychajlo Podoljak, clarifies a direct reason for the Ukrainian ground offensive, primarily in the Kursk region. He writes on the X platform that Ukraine wants to negotiate "on our own terms".
"We have absolutely no plans to appeal: 'please, let us sit down and negotiate'", he writes on X.
"Instead, we have proven the possibility with effective pressure. In addition to economic and diplomatic methods, we must succeed with significant (military) tactical setbacks for Russia".
"Fair negotiations"
Podoljak notes that the "military tools" are being used to force Russia to initiate a fair negotiation process.
Moscow has previously insisted that peace talks are fully possible, but without a Russian troop withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.
Oleksandr Syrskyj, who is the military chief, claimed on Friday evening that the Ukrainian offensive has advanced further, and reports that forces have reached "one to three kilometers" deeper into the Russian region.
The statement is made via a video recording where he converses with President Zelenskyj and which has been posted on social media.
At the same time, reports are coming in from eastern Ukraine about intense Russian attacks.
Russian attacks
The authorities in eastern Ukrainian Pokrovsk are urging residents to quickly leave their homes. The Russian forces are reportedly approaching rapidly.
"They (Russian forces) are advancing at a rapid pace. For every day that passes, there is less and less time to gather personal belongings and move to safer areas", the authorities write on Telegram.
Pokrovsk in Donetsk, a city that had a population of over 60,000 before the war, has been a declared Russian target for months. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on Friday that the country's forces had captured the village of Serhijivka, about a mile from Pokrovsk.
President Zelenskyj warned on Thursday that Pokrovsk and nearby communities are facing "intensive Russian attacks".
