Kievhas given several reasons to justify its attack, while Russia occupies almost 20% of Ukrainian territory, including forcing Moscow to withdraw troops from other parts of the front, or producing a buffer zone to make up for the bombardment of Ukrainian border territories.

But Kyiv also wants to use the conquered Russian territories as a bargaining chip during eventual negotiations with the Kremlin.

“The military instrument is used objectively to persuade Russia to enter into a fair negotiation process,” said Mykhaïlo Podoliak, mentor of President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a message on the social network X.

⇒Potential Negotiations.

Although he repeated that Kiev had no interest in occupying a segment of Russian territory, Zelensky also said that, in the case of possible agreements.

On Tuesday, a Ukrainian diplomat had already called on Moscow to admit “a fair peace”, with Kyiv demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from its internationally recognized territory.

However, negotiations between the two parties have been completely blocked since spring 2022 and Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine accept the annexation of a segment of its territory.

Zelensky assured that he wants to develop by November – the date of the presidential elections in the United States, a vital Kyiv ally – a project that will serve as a basis for a future summit of tranquility to which the Kremlin should be invited.

The Ukrainian leader repeats that tranquility will only be likely if the Russian troop withdraws completely, including from the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014 by Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin demands that Kyiv cede the Ukrainian regions it wants to join and renounce NATO membership – unacceptable requirements for Ukrainians and Westerners, who continue to resort to reverence for international law.