Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region to surrender, shortly after former US President Donald Trump appealed to him to spare their lives. While Putin claims the soldiers are surrounded, Ukraine denies this and says its troops are only repositioning.
In a dramatic turn of events, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region to surrender, shortly after former US President Donald Trump made a public appeal to spare their lives. “We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call,” Putin said in televised remarks. “If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment,” he said. He further urged Ukrainian leadership to instruct their forces to surrender, stating it was the only viable option given their precarious position.
Putin’s ultimatum: Surrender or face death
Putin claimed that Ukrainian troops had been cut off and surrounded inside the conflict zone, warning that if a complete blockade was enforced in the coming days, the soldiers would be left with only two choices — “surrender or die.” He reiterated that Russian forces were in full control of the region, escalating pressure on Ukraine’s military leadership.
Trump warns of ‘massacre not seen since WWII’
Earlier, in a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed to have held “productive discussions” with Putin and emphasized the dire circumstances facing Ukrainian soldiers allegedly encircled by Russian forces. “There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION,” Trump wrote. “I have strongly requested President Putin to spare their lives. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!”
Ukraine denies encirclement, calls it strategic repositioning
Ukraine’s top commander, however, denied claims of encirclement, saying that troops in the region were merely repositioning to more defensible locations. Nonetheless, Putin’s remarks underscore growing Russian military pressure in the region.
Kursk conflict: A shifting battlefield
Putin’s surrender call comes as Russia continues to push back Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, an area that Ukrainian troops had reportedly held since August 2023. On Thursday, Putin had also expressed conditional support for a ceasefire, insisting that any halt in fighting must address the underlying causes of the conflict to ensure lasting peace.