Russia Pushes Into Dnepropetrovsk Region to Build Buffer Zone – Kremlin
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained the latest military moves in comments to the press.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the Tsentr Battlegroup had eliminated up to 530 Ukrainian troops over the past 24 hours, reaching the western border of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and continuing to advance its offensive.
"[Goals] include this [to create a buffer zone], of course, but if we talk about the nuances of the fighting itself, then you need to address your questions to the Ministry of Defense," Peskov told reporters, answering a question whether the offensive by the Russian Armed Forces in the Dnepropetrovsk region could be called part of the work to create a buffer zone.
On May 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Armed Forces were in the process of establishing a security buffer zone along the border with Ukraine.
Russia believes that continued military aid for Ukraine hinders the peace process and makes NATO countries party to the conflict. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and other countries.
In other comments, Ukraine's explanations regarding the failed exchange of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of dead soldiers over the weekend, running against the agreements made in Istanbul between the two parties, can hardly be considered plausible, the Kremlin spokesman added.
"We have seen and heard a hundred different excuses, justifications [for the no-show], and so on. They can hardly be considered plausible," Peskov told journalists.
