
Trump asks Putin to spare lives of Ukrainian troops
US President Donald Trump said he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian troops who are reportedly “completely surrounded” by Russian forces.
Trump shared on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he made the appeal during a phone call with Putin on Thursday, which he described as “good and productive.”
Trump was referring to the Russian military’s advance on a territory in the Kursk region, which had been seized by Ukraine. Putin visited the area on Thursday to mark the progress of the military operation.
“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,” Trump wrote. “But at this moment, thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military and in a very bad and vulnerable position. I have strongly requested President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II.”
Ukraine’s top commander denied reports that Ukrainian troops were encircled in Kursk, stating that they were adopting improved defensive positions.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Moscow for talks on Thursday, the same day Putin announced his conditional agreement to a US-proposed ceasefire plan. However, Putin insisted that Ukraine must not use the ceasefire to mobilize troops or receive weapons.
The US proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine accepted during a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.