WASHINGTON, August 23. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military’s operation in the Kursk Region will not lead to the creation of any ‘buffer zone’ on the territory of Russia, the country’s Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.

Commenting on Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh's remarks and Kiev's statements on the topic, the diplomat said: "This is impossible. There will be no buffer zone on the territory of Russia."

At the same time, he warned that Moscow is not going to consult Washington on how to act to expel the Ukrainian armed forces from the Kursk Region.

"I want to say that the Americans continue their line of, you know, balancing on the edge of war and peace. They are constantly testing our tolerance, including with their arms deliveries [to Kiev]. And I think they are trying to provoke us to some emotional, quick decisions," Antonov emphasized.

He reiterated his confidence that Washington could put an end to the Ukrainian military’s operation in the Kursk Region "with a snap of the fingers." "If they (the Americans - TASS) deem it expedient and necessary to do so," the ambassador pointed out. "Naturally, the Americans are fighting to maintain a unipolar world in which they are in charge, in which they ‘rule the universe.' <...> They want to preserve their supposed leadership," Antonov told reporters.

"I am firmly convinced that Kiev does nothing without an okay from its [Western] masters. Given how many advisers are around Zelensky, what <...> power is given to Zelensky's regime, to say that here (in Washington - TASS) they do not know about anything... They (the Ukrainian armed forces - TASS) simply would not dare to lift a finger, to point a machine gun in our direction without Washington's consent! Or at least they wouldn't be sure that any of their actions would be supported by Western countries," the ambassador added.