Russia President Vladimir Putin has visited the western Russian region of Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region.
Appearing on Russian state television dressed in a pixelated military uniform, Putin visited a control centre in Kursk region used by Russian troops.
“Indeed, in the shortest possible time is to finally defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region and still conducting defensive actions here,” Putin said, addressing Russia’s top military brass.
Putin heard a report from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s general staff, who told him Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region were now surrounded.
“It’s systematic destruction is underway,” Gerasimov said.
But Ukraine’s top army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Facebook that fighting continued on the outskirts of Sudzha town in Kursk and Ukraine’s troops will continue operating there “as long as appropriate and necessary”.
Putin said Russian forces should completely liberate the region from the Ukrainian troops as soon as possible, the news agencies reported.
Putin said Russia should treat Ukrainian soldiers captured as prisoners of war in Kursk region as terrorists.
“People who are in the Kursk region, who commit crimes against civilians here, who oppose our armed forces, law enforcement agencies and special services, … are the people we should certainly treat as terrorists,” Putin said, adding that Russia does not intend to extend the Geneva Conventions to foreigners fighting on Ukraine’s side.
US envoy heading to Moscow
The after Ukraine said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.
Russia on Wednesday said it was carefully studying the results of that meeting and awaited details from US secretary of state Marco Rubio and White House national security adviser Mike Waltz.
“Rubio and Waltz said that they would pass on detailed information to us through various channels about the essence of the conversation that took place in Jeddah. First, we must receive this information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
On Thursday, the White House said Waltz had spoken with his Russian counterpart.
Rubio said the US was hoping for a positive response, and that if the answer was “no” then it would tell them a lot about the Russian government’s true intentions.
He said Europe would have to be involved in any security guarantee for Ukraine, and that the sanctions Europe has imposed would also be on the table.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Thursday that US negotiators headed to Moscow could secure a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, with officials saying the US wants Russia to agree to an unconditional halt to hostilities.
“People are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
Trump said “devastating” sanctions were possible if Russia refused a deal but added: “I hope that’s not going to be necessary.”
‘None of us trust the Russians’
In Kyiv, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US would pile pressure on Russia if it did not accept a ceasefire.
“I understand that we can count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet but we are talking about sanctions and strengthening Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
“Everything depends on whether Russia wants a ceasefire and silence, or it wants to continue killing people.”
He said Ukrainians had no confidence that fighting would stop.
“I have emphasised this many times, none of us trust the Russians,” he said.
Ukraine is increasingly suffering on the battlefield, losing ground in the east and south of the country, where officials said eight people were killed on Wednesday.
Russia has also reclaimed territory in its western Kursk region, pushing back Ukrainian troops who staged a shock offensive last August.
