MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the establishment of a security buffer zone in the border areas of Ukraine is proceeding as planned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an annual press conference and question-and-answer session in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 14, 2023. (File photo: Xinhua)

"The establishment of a security buffer zone in the border areas of Ukraine's Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions is progressing as planned," Putin said during a meeting held at one of the temporary command posts of the combined joint force group.

The more Ukraine attempts to strike civilian facilities in Russia, the more Russia must do to protect those facilities and its civilians, Putin noted, adding that "the more such attempts the enemy makes, the larger the security buffer zone we will have to establish in the adjacent territory."