Ukraine Pushes for Coercive Peace Summit Participation from Russia

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak asserts that Russia must be compelled to join a peace summit. Podolyak emphasizes the importance of economic and diplomatic pressure, coupled with battlefield actions, in coercing Russia. Ukraine's recent cross-border operations into Russia's Kursk region are part of these efforts to secure national safety by neutralizing enemy war infrastructure.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Tuesday that Russia needs to be forced to participate in a summit on peace, as it would not do so willingly.

Podolyak told national TV that one of the methods of coercion is actions on the battlefield, referring to Ukraine's unprecedented cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region. "Simple calls to Russia do not work; only a set of coercive tools works," he said, meaning economic and diplomatic pressure as well.

He added that by actions in Russia's border regions, Ukraine is addressing the key issue of its own security. "This is the destruction of war infrastructure and the formation of so-called sanitary zones so that Russia cannot use equipment that strikes deep into the territory of Ukraine," he said.

A week after the launch of the incursion, Ukraine said it controls 74 Russian settlements and continues its advance.

(With inputs from agencies.)