Moscow rules out peace talks amid Ukraine's operation in Kursk region – media

Russia on Monday ruled out any peace talks with Ukraine despite Kyiv raising pressure on the Kremlin by claiming fresh advances in its offensive into Russian territory.

That is according to AFP, Ukrinform reports.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Ukraine's incursion had pushed peace talks further away. "At the current stage, given this escapade, we will not talk," he said.

Ushakov called entering a negotiating process "completely inappropriate" and said future talks "depend on the situation on the battlefield, including in the Kursk region."

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede swathes of territory if it wants a ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has ruled out direct talks with the Kremlin, demands Russia's full withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, and reparations.

"The incursion has worried Russians, prompting some in Kyiv to hope that sentiment in Russia could turn against the Kremlin's war," the news story reads.

"Accustomed to seeing the war as a television show, Russians are now seeing it up close and personal," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on the X social media platform.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Ukraine's offensive on the Kursk region and called on allies and incumbent British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use long-range weapons against targets inside Russia.