At Trump’s request, Putin says he will let Ukrainian troops in Kursk live if they surrender

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW – US President Donald Trump urged Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on March 14 to spare Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of its Kursk region, an appeal Mr Putin said he would honour if they surrendered.

Mr Trump put up a post on social media after his envoy, Mr Steve Witkoff, held a lengthy meeting with Mr Putin on the night of March 13 in Moscow that the President described as “very good and productive”.

“There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Mr Trump said, referring to a US ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted this week and was under consideration by Russia.

The US President said Russia’s military had completely surrounded thousands of Ukrainian troops in Kursk, who were “in a very bad and vulnerable position”.

“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!”

In a statement on social media after being briefed by his top general, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 15 that Kyiv’s troops were not encircled in Kursk, but that Moscow was accumulating forces nearby for a separate attack.

“This indicates an intention to attack our Sumy region,” he said. “We are aware of this and will counter it. I would like all partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for and what he will be ignoring.”

Military analysts have said Ukrainian forces in Kursk are nearly cut off after rapidly losing ground in what had been their only foothold in Russian territory.

Mr Putin has accused Ukrainian troops of carrying out crimes against civilians in Kursk, something Kyiv denies.

But the Russian President said he understood the call by Mr Trump to take humanitarian considerations into account.

“In this regard, I would like to emphasise that if (the Ukrainian troops) lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and decent treatment in accordance with international law and the laws of the Russian Federation,” Mr Putin said.

Mr Zelensky on March 15 told Kyiv’s Western allies that they must “define a clear position on security guarantees”, including about basing a troop contingent on Ukrainian soil.

“The contingent must be stationed on Ukrainian soil,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on social media platform X, alongside an image of him taking part in a virtual call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders, as well as Western allies.

“This is a security guarantee for Ukraine and a security guarantee for Europe,” he said.

Kyiv denies Kursk rout

Kursk became a key theatre of the war in August when Ukraine, 2½ years after Mr Putin’s full-scale invasion, turned the tables by grabbing a piece of Russia’s own territory, a potential bargaining chip in future negotiations.

Seven months on, Kursk is once again in the spotlight as Russian forces attempt to expel the Ukrainians completely and the US urges Russia to agree to a ceasefire in the wider war.

Moscow said on March 14 that its forces had recaptured another Kursk village. But Ukraine’s general staff said the battlefield situation remained largely unchanged.

“Reports of the alleged ‘encirclement’ of Ukrainian units by the enemy in Kursk are false and fabricated by the Russians for political manipulation,” it said, adding that units had withdrawn to more advantageous defensive positions.

Mr Zelensky told reporters that the Kursk offensive had succeeded in diverting Russian forces from elsewhere on the battle front.

He added that he saw “a good chance” to end the war, having “solid security understanding” with European partners.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin sent Mr Trump a message about his ceasefire plan via Mr Witkoff, expressing “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached to end the three-year-old conflict.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who met Mr Trump on March 13, told Fox News that Mr Trump’s drive to get Russia to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers was “extremely helpful and extremely important”.

But he said Nato needed long-term collective deterrence so that Russia would never again seek to capture territory anywhere in the world.

The Trump administration launched its latest round of outreach to Moscow after Ukraine agreed in principle to a ceasefire at talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia.

Trump urges Putin to sign ceasefire deal

On March 14, Mr Trump again pressed Russia to sign and complete “a ceasefire and final agreement”.

Mr Putin said on March 13 that he supported Mr Trump’s proposal in principle, but fighting could not be paused until several crucial conditions were worked out, raising the prospect of longer negotiations.

Despite Mr Putin’s apparent conditions, Mr Trump called Mr Putin’s statement “very promising”.

Mr Putin has said he wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions to join Nato and limit its army size. Russia also wants Ukraine to cede control of four regions that Moscow claims, a demand rejected by Kyiv.

He has also made clear he wants Western sanctions eased and a presidential election to be held in Ukraine, which Kyiv says is premature while martial law remains in force. REUTERS