Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine must surrender in order to achieve a ceasefire, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for a truce during a recent Oval Office meeting.
Putin’s remarks come as tensions escalate with claims from Trump that thousands of Ukrainian troops are encircled in the Kursk region. During a press briefing, he expressed conditional support for a proposed 30-day ceasefire while raising concerns about the alleged encirclement, asserting, “The situation in Kursk is completely under our control.”
Ukraine, however, has forcefully rejected these claims. The Ukrainian armed forces issued a statement declaring that reports of encircled troops are “false” and intended for political manipulation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated that Putin’s assertions about the conflict and casualties are misleading, arguing that they hinder diplomatic efforts to resolve the war.
Zelenskyy cautioned that Putin cannot afford to exit the war, as doing so would leave him with nothing. He criticized the Russian leader for setting “extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions” for negotiations even before a ceasefire could be agreed upon.
Responses from defense analysts, including Michael Kofman and George Barros, also debunked the notion of Russian encirclements, emphasizing that available evidence does not support large-scale encirclements of Ukrainian forces.
In response to the ongoing crisis, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held discussions with Putin in Moscow regarding the proposed ceasefire, with potential implications for broader peace negotiations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted a “cautious optimism” regarding the ceasefire discussions and indicated that further communications between Putin and Trump would be determined following Witkoff’s report.
Throughout this period of heightened conflict, the situation remains fluid, with both sides maneuvering for advantage as they navigate the complexities of ongoing hostilities and international relations.
Credit: ABC News
