05:03Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had 'never refused' to engage in peace talks with Kiev, yet stressed that Russia's army should primarily oust 'criminals who've infiltrated' the Kursk region, while addressing a school lesson called 'Conversation about the Important' in Kyzyl on Monday.
"I am sure that this provocation will fail. And after that, it seems to me, there will be a real desire, not in words, but in deeds, to move to peaceful negotiations and to solve these problems by peaceful means. Russia has never refused to talk about peace, but we've got to deal with the criminals who've infiltrated the country, specifically the Kursk region, with their attempts to further stabilise the situation in the border region as a whole," he said.
Putin claimed that Ukraine's authorities now were 'not interested in the cessation of hostilities', as it would entail the lifting of martial law as well as the holding of presidential elections.
"The current government is clearly not ready for that. They have little chance of being re-elected. And that is why they are not interested in the cessation of hostilities. That's why they made this provocation in the Kursk region. And before that they tried to make the same provocation in the Belgorod region," Putin said.
During the lesson, the head of state also noted the growing interest in the Chinese language among Russians and emphasised that it happened due to the development of economic relations between the countries.
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region on August 6 in an offensive described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'large-scale provocation'. A counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on August 9, while more than 133,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk border districts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'purely [a] security issue for Ukraine', with fighting ongoing.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'Criminals' in Kursk region must be dealt with first - Putin says Russia 'never refused to talk peace' with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had 'never refused' to engage in peace talks with Kiev, yet stressed that Russia's army should primarily oust 'criminals who've infiltrated' the Kursk region, while addressing a school lesson called 'Conversation about the Important' in Kyzyl on Monday.
"I am sure that this provocation will fail. And after that, it seems to me, there will be a real desire, not in words, but in deeds, to move to peaceful negotiations and to solve these problems by peaceful means. Russia has never refused to talk about peace, but we've got to deal with the criminals who've infiltrated the country, specifically the Kursk region, with their attempts to further stabilise the situation in the border region as a whole," he said.
Putin claimed that Ukraine's authorities now were 'not interested in the cessation of hostilities', as it would entail the lifting of martial law as well as the holding of presidential elections.
"The current government is clearly not ready for that. They have little chance of being re-elected. And that is why they are not interested in the cessation of hostilities. That's why they made this provocation in the Kursk region. And before that they tried to make the same provocation in the Belgorod region," Putin said.
During the lesson, the head of state also noted the growing interest in the Chinese language among Russians and emphasised that it happened due to the development of economic relations between the countries.
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region on August 6 in an offensive described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'large-scale provocation'. A counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on August 9, while more than 133,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk border districts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'purely [a] security issue for Ukraine', with fighting ongoing.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow had 'never refused' to engage in peace talks with Kiev, yet stressed that Russia's army should primarily oust 'criminals who've infiltrated' the Kursk region, while addressing a school lesson called 'Conversation about the Important' in Kyzyl on Monday.
"I am sure that this provocation will fail. And after that, it seems to me, there will be a real desire, not in words, but in deeds, to move to peaceful negotiations and to solve these problems by peaceful means. Russia has never refused to talk about peace, but we've got to deal with the criminals who've infiltrated the country, specifically the Kursk region, with their attempts to further stabilise the situation in the border region as a whole," he said.
Putin claimed that Ukraine's authorities now were 'not interested in the cessation of hostilities', as it would entail the lifting of martial law as well as the holding of presidential elections.
"The current government is clearly not ready for that. They have little chance of being re-elected. And that is why they are not interested in the cessation of hostilities. That's why they made this provocation in the Kursk region. And before that they tried to make the same provocation in the Belgorod region," Putin said.
During the lesson, the head of state also noted the growing interest in the Chinese language among Russians and emphasised that it happened due to the development of economic relations between the countries.
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region on August 6 in an offensive described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'large-scale provocation'. A counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on August 9, while more than 133,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk border districts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'purely [a] security issue for Ukraine', with fighting ongoing.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.