• Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Friday, March 14, 2025 (AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on Ukrainian forces engaged in battle in Russia's Kursk region to surrender, following an appeal from US President Donald Trump for Putin to "spare" the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

"We are sympathetic to President Trump's call," Putin stated in a televised address.

"If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment," he added, urging Ukraine’s leadership to issue an order for its troops to surrender.

Trump announced on Thursday engaging in what he described as “very good and productive discussions” with Putin, raising hopes for a potential resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed that thousands of Ukrainian troops were currently encircled by Russian forces and in a “very bad and vulnerable position,” adding that he had personally urged Putin to spare their lives, warning that their fate could result in a "horrible massacre" of a scale unseen since World War II.

"There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," Trump wrote, emphasizing that he "strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared."

Zelensky acknowledges fighting in Kursk 'very difficult'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged on Friday that his forces were facing significant pressure from Russian troops in the Kursk region, while also noting that intense battles continued across other frontlines.

Since Kiev launched its cross-border offensive into Kursk last August—the largest incursion by a foreign military into Russia since World War II—Moscow has been steadily pushing back.

"The situation in the Kursk region is obviously very difficult," Zelensky told reporters in Kiev.

However, he claimed that Ukraine's offensive had forced Russia to redeploy troops from other critical battlefronts, easing pressure on Ukrainian forces fighting to maintain control of the eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

"I think the situation in the Pokrovsk sector is now stable, and it will be very difficult to find an opportunity to occupy Pokrovsk again," Zelensky indicated.

His remarks came shortly after the Russian military announced that its forces had "liberated" the village of Goncharovka near Sudzha, a larger town Moscow claimed to have seized a day earlier.

Russia’s counteroffensive in Kursk has regained much of the territory Ukraine initially captured, depriving Kiev of a key bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations.

Meanwhile, in certain areas along the border, Russian troops have reportedly crossed into Ukraine’s Sumy region, which lies adjacent to Kursk.

Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s border guard service, told state media that Russian forces were attempting to penetrate Sumy’s defenses.

Last week, Moscow claimed to have taken control of Novenke, a village located several kilometers from a crucial Ukrainian supply route in Kursk.

Rubio expresses cautious optimism for a Russia-Ukraine truce

In a related context, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday he was "cautiously optimistic" about the possibility of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine following a meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin, who has voiced general support for a Ukrainian-backed US proposal for a truce but with reservations.

Rubio said that Witkoff would brief President Donald Trump's administration this weekend on his talks.

Russia and Ukraine "could come together pretty quickly if everyone aligns, but I don't know how aligned we are yet," the US Secretary indicated.

"There's a lot of work there, a lot of work that remains to be done, but there's reason to be cautiously optimistic," he told reporters after G7 discussions in Canada.

"It will not be simple, but we certainly feel like we're at least some steps closer to ending this war and bringing peace."

The top US diplomat also reiterated that both Russia and Ukraine must be willing to make compromises, particularly after the G7 reaffirmed Ukraine’s "territorial integrity".

"The only way to end this war is through a process of negotiations," he said. "Negotiations, be it in business, commerce or geopolitics, involves both sides giving something, both sides making concessions."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump explained in an interview for NBC that his claim to resolve the Ukraine conflict in a single day during his campaign last year was just a bit of sarcasm.

"Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that. What I really mean is I’d like to get it [the conflict in Ukraine] settled, and I think I’ll be successful," Trump said.

On Tuesday, Rubio met in Saudi Arabia with Ukrainian officials who, eager to restore relations after a public spat between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office, agreed to the truce proposal, which led the United States to end a brief freeze on military aid and intelligence sharing.

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