Donald Trump has asked Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to instruct his forces not to kill Ukrainian troops that are surrounded.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Friday that Russian troops had recaptured 28 settlements within its western Kursk Region in the last week and also taken control of Noven’ke village in Ukraine’s adjacent Sumy area.
The news was announced amid reports that Putin had met with U.S. Ambassador Steve Witkoff in order to discuss the details of an American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire during the war against Ukraine. He asked Witkoff if he could convey Moscow’s views to Washington.
“We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION,” Trump posted Friday on Truth Social.
“I’ve asked President Putin to spare their lives. This would be an awful massacre, the likes of which have not been seen since World War II. God bless all !!!”
Putin said that while he was in agreement with the U.S. proposal of a 30-day truce in Ukraine in principle, the details still needed to be worked through. He also stressed that the ceasefire should pave the way to a lasting peace.
The New York Times reported that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, warned on Thursday that Putin would drag out an agreement for a truce because he was not interested in peace.
Zelenskyy said that Putin had demanded so many conditions that “nothing would work out, or it would not work out as long as possible.”
The Washington Post reported that classified U.S. Intelligence reports from as recent as this month indicated that Putin is still focused on his maximumist goal to bring Ukraine into Russia’s economic and security orbit, despite Trump’s efforts to end the conflict through negotiation.
The Russians have intensified their efforts to force Ukrainian forces from Kursk. They took over about 100 settlements there in an unexpected incursion on Russian soil last August.