Russia has amassed more than 50,000 troops – including some of its best-trained forces – near Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, Zelensky emphasized that Kyiv has taken steps to prevent the Russian army from launching a major offensive with these forces.
The troop buildup comes at a time when Russia appears to be preparing for a summer offensive in Ukraine, despite Kyiv awaiting a memorandum from Moscow outlining conditions to continue ceasefire talks.
Sumy borders Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine previously occupied and held part of Russian territory for several months before almost entirely withdrawing last month, though Kyiv says it still controls some small areas there.
“Their largest and strongest forces are now positioned on the Kursk front,” Zelensky told reporters.
“Their goal is to push our troops out of the Kursk region and prepare for an offensive against the Sumy region,” he added.
Putin has said he wants to create a “security zone” along the border between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky said he believes Russia aims to seize around 10 kilometers of territory inside Ukraine.
Russia has recently captured at least four border villages in the region and has slowly advanced over the past few weeks in some parts of the eastern frontline near the city of Kostiantynivka. However, the Ukrainian president said Russian forces have been pushed back by about 4 kilometers in that area over the past two days.
Zelensky said at a press conference that his government is ready for further peace talks in any format. He mentioned that the next round is expected to take place at the technical level, but he himself is ready for a trilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He added that he does not want the United States to withdraw from the Ukrainian peace process, as they have threatened to do if no progress is made.
Ukraine and Russia each exchanged 1,000 prisoners following a meeting of their delegations in Istanbul nearly two weeks ago, which did not result in a ceasefire, despite calls from Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe.
Zelensky said he sees Turkey, the Vatican, and Switzerland as the most likely locations for further negotiations with Russia.
He emphasized that Russia has suggested the talks take place in Belarus – a proposal Kyiv considers insincere and unacceptable, as Russian forces used this country as a staging ground for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. /REL
