KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that the offensive of Ukrainian military forces in Russia's western Kursk region continued.

"Despite the difficult and intense battles, our forces continue to advance in the Kursk region, and our state's 'exchange fund' is growing," Zelensky said in a post on Telegram after a video conversation with Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

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Ukraine has taken control over 74 settlements in the Kursk region, Zelensky said, noting that "inspections and stabilization measures" were being carried out in those settlements.

The development of humanitarian solutions for the Ukraine-controlled territories continues, said the Ukrainian president.

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Preparations for Ukraine's "next steps" are also underway, he added.

According to the video published on the official presidential account on Telegram, Syrsky informed Zelensky that Ukrainian forces had taken control of 40 square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region over the past 24 hours.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces controlled about 1,000 square kilometers of the Russian territory, according to Syrsky.

Russia summons Moldovan diplomat

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Moldova's charge d'affaires on Tuesday over concerns that Moldova could host West-supplied F-16 aircraft to be transferred to Ukraine.

The ministry expressed "serious concern" over media reports that F-16 aircraft, transferred by the West to Ukraine, might be deployed in Moldova and used to bomb Russian territory, it said in a statement.

Moldova's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it does not plan to host the F-16 aircraft provided for Ukraine.