After Trump appeals, Putin says he will put Ukrainians in Kursk if they surrender
President Vladimir Putin on Friday will save Ukrainian soldiers’ lives in its western Kursk region after U.S. President Donald Trump urged him to avoid a “terrible massacre” there.
Ukraine denied that its soldiers were surrounded, saying it was a fabrication by Russia, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the situation “very difficult.”
Trump said in a social media post that he had asked the Russian president to save the lives of thousands of Ukrainians who he said were “completely surrounded” and vulnerable.
“I strongly demand that President Putin survive a life. It will be a terrible massacre that has not been seen since World War II,” he said.
Speaking to his security committee, Putin said he had read Trump’s appeal. While accusing the Ukrainian army of crimes against civilians, he was talking about “terrorism” (a point that Kiev denied) – Putin said he understood Trump’s call took into account humanitarian considerations.
“In this regard, I want to emphasize that if [the Ukrainian troops] Putting down their weapons and surrendering will ensure life and decent treatment in accordance with international law and the laws of the Russian Federation. “Putin said.
“In order to effectively implement the appeal of the U.S. President, the corresponding orders of the military political leaders of the military forces are needed to put down their weapons and surrender.”
Dmitry Medvedev, vice-chairman of the Russian Security Council, posted on social media that the other side of Kiev is “if they refuse to put down their weapons, they will be destroyed methodically and in isolation.”
Prepared “Environmental” report: Ukraine’s General Staff
Last August, Kursk became an important theater for the war, when Ukraine seized Russia’s own territory and placed the table on Moscow more than two years after Putin’s full-scale invasion.
For seven months, Russian troops have tried to flush the last remaining Ukrainian, and the United States has once again attracted attention by urging Russia to agree to a ceasefire in the wider war. Putin said on Thursday that Ukrainians are trapped and face the option of “surrender or death”.
“Reports about the “encirclement” of Ukrainian units by enemies in the Kursk region are false and fabricated by the Russians to cause political manipulation and put pressure on Ukraine and its partners,” Ukraine’s general staff said on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he supported a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine in principle, but until the big questions were answered, including resolving the root causes of the conflict and determining who would ceasefire by the police.
It said there were 13 combat clashes on Friday and the situation on the battlefield was largely unchanged.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces’ troops have been successfully reorganized, withdrew their more favorable defensive positions and are carrying out their designated missions in the Kursk region.”
Zelenskyy told reporters that Kursk’s offense successfully diverted Russian troops from other parts of the battlefield.
“I can only thank our warriors for their Kursk operations. I believe it accomplished the mission,” Zelenskyy said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier that Russian troops had recaptured Gong Charovka, one of the few Kursk settlements in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s border guard said it repelled a 10-man Russian reconnaissance group attempting to break into Ukrainian territory in the Sumi area bordering Kursk.
