Ukrainian soldiers entered Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, making their largest incursion into enemy territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

In an interview for the American private broadcaster NBC News, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “We don’t need the Russian territory. Our operation is aimed at restoring our territorial integrity. We don’t need their land.”

The interview came as Russian air strikes on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv left at least seven people dead, including three children. Regional officials said that 30 people were injured in the attack, which also destroyed historic buildings in the heart of the city.

Ukraine’s assault on Kursk appears to be part of a peace plan that Kyiv will present to international partners in Washington later this month.

When pressed during the interview about Ukraine holding Russian territory, Zelenskyy said: “Conceptually, we will hold it.”

“For now, we need it,” he added, suggesting that the land could be used as a bargaining chip to help Ukraine recover its occupied territory.

According to media reports, Kyiv has claimed to have taken full control of 82 settlements covering an area of 1,150 square kilometers (445 square miles) in the Kursk region since August 6.

Zelenskyy's interview was broadcast as Ukraine came to terms with the deadliest single attack this year, when Russia hit a military institute in the central town of Poltava with two ballistic missiles, killing at least 50 and wounding hundreds more.