Moscow: President Vladimir Putin said that Russian forces had taken control of almost 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) of territory in Ukraine so far this year, according to Reuters.
Speaking at a meeting with top military commanders, Putin said Moscow held the “complete strategic initiative” on the battlefield. He added that Ukraine’s attempts to strike deep inside Russian territory would not change the situation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using oil tankers for intelligence gathering and sabotage operations.
In a post on Telegram, cited by Reuters, Zelenskyy said Russia was “using tankers not only to earn money for the war, but also for reconnaissance and even sabotage activities”. He said Ukraine was working with its allies to address the issue. “It is entirely possible to stop this,” Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile, Putin reiterated that if the United States supplied Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for long-range strikes deep into Russia, then it would lead to the destruction of Moscow's relationship with Washington.
He said that it was impossible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of US military personnel, and so any supply of such missiles to Ukraine would trigger a "qualitatively new stage of escalation".
