Ukraine takes control of 92 settlements in Russia's Kursk region

Mr Zelensky urged Ukraine's allies to allow Western weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, noting that this was the main reason Ukraine was unable to stop Russian military advances on the front line in the east.

“The concept of the so-called red line, which dominated the assessment of some partners on the war, collapsed these days somewhere near the town of Sudzha,” Mr. Zelensky said in a speech to ambassadors, referring to the border town in Kursk province that remains under Ukrainian control.

In another development, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, speaking on Russian state television channel RT on August 19, said that foreign mercenaries fought alongside Ukrainian forces in the Kursk attack.

On August 6, the Ukrainian army crossed the Russian border and launched an attack on the Kursk region. According to President Lukashenko, the Ukrainian forces included mercenaries.

The Belarusian leader said the troops taking part in the Kursk offensive were "gathered from all along the front line" and "most of them are people who have experienced war, while the rest are mercenaries..."

Mr Lukashenko expressed confidence that President Vladimir Putin's army would defeat Ukrainian soldiers who had invaded Russian territory.

According to him, the escalation of the conflict could lead to the worst-case scenario for Ukraine, ending with the destruction of Ukraine because "no one has ever and no one can defeat Russia."

President Lukashenko also stressed that Warsaw's warning to completely close the Polish-Belarusian border would not harm Minsk.

According to him, Poland should not fight against Russia or Belarus but should resume economic cooperation with these two countries.