Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited a command publish in Kursk, the place his military chief informed him Moscow’s forces are on the verge of retaking the Ukrainian-held border area.
Putin’s go to got here simply hours after Ukraine agreed to US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia.
He ordered the military to drive Ukraine’s forces out of the area “within the shortest time potential” and take into account establishing a buffer zone alongside the border, in keeping with footage proven on state tv on Wednesday.
As Ukraine’s defence has collapsed in latest days, Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russia’s normal workers, informed Putin that their nation had captured 400 troopers and retaken 86 per cent of the territory seized by Kyiv in a shock assault final summer time.
Putin mentioned prisoners must be handled “humanely” however warned any remaining Ukrainian fighters could be thought of “terrorists”.
Footage of Putin’s arrival on the command publish of the troop group within the Kursk area.
He appeared in army uniform. pic.twitter.com/bAjwcUdVk6
— lone wolf (@MApodogan) March 12, 2025
After assembly in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Ukrainian and US officers backed a month-long cessation of hostilities alongside your complete Ukrainian frontline.
In return, the US resumed army assist and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv that had been suspended after final month’s bust-up within the Oval Workplace between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a briefing on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president described the assembly with US officers in Jeddah as “constructive”. He mentioned the 30-day ceasefire was a US proposal he agreed to after being in contact along with his group.
“I’ve mentioned repeatedly that none of us belief the Russians, however we’re not going to play with narratives claiming that we don’t need this conflict to finish,” mentioned Zelenskyy, including he was “critical” concerning the deliberate truce.
Ukraine’s president mentioned assist from different nations could be wanted to watch the ceasefire alongside the 1,000km-long frontline.
In February, Zelenskyy insisted the Russian territories held by Ukrainian forces in Kursk might be used as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations.
However as Ukraine struggles to defend the captured area, Moscow’s state media shared footage on Wednesday that it mentioned confirmed Russian troopers within the centre of Sudzha, the primary municipality the place Ukraine had arrange a command centre.
“I don’t suppose they’ll be able to cease in Sudzha,” mentioned Solomiia Bobrovska, a Ukrainian opposition MP and member of the nationwide safety and intelligence committee.
Oleksandr Syrsky, Kyiv’s commander-in-chief, on Wednesday mentioned Ukrainian forces had pulled again from components of Kursk. “My precedence was and stays to avoid wasting the lives of Ukrainian troopers. For this, our forces can manoeuvre to extra advantageous traces,” he wrote on Telegram.
Preventing continued in Kursk together with Sudzha’s suburbs, Syrsky added.
For Ukraine, a ceasefire being negotiated simply as Ukrainian forces undergo army setbacks has painful echoes. In February 2015, Moscow pressed Kyiv to signal a ceasefire simply as its troops had been surrounding the japanese Ukrainian city of Debaltseve.
Russia repeatedly violated that ceasefire settlement — a precedent Zelenskyy introduced up on the White Home, prompting Trump to conclude that the Ukrainian chief was not keen on ending the battle.
“Putin will attempt to fill Trump’s ears with nothing, and Trump should resolve what he does subsequent,” mentioned Mykhailo Samus, a Ukrainian army analyst. He added the US president was prone to supply Moscow the lifting of western sanctions in change for a ceasefire.
Karoline Leavitt, the White Home press secretary, on Wednesday mentioned US nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz had spoken to his Russian counterpart. “The president’s group continues to be engaged” on the ceasefire plan, she added.
Ukrainian officers and European allies on Wednesday welcomed the restoration of US army help and the sharing of intelligence that Kyiv’s forces use to hit targets past the frontline.
“This is a crucial sign to the entire world that the assist to Ukraine is undamaged,” Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s high aide and chief of the Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, wrote on Telegram.
Poland’s overseas minister Radek Sikorski on Wednesday mentioned the US transit of army provides to Ukraine by way of Poland had “returned to earlier ranges”, as had the Starlink satellite tv for pc communications system owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk. Poland is paying for a part of that service to Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer congratulated Trump and Zelenskyy for his or her “outstanding breakthrough”, including: “Russia should now comply with a ceasefire and an finish to the preventing too.”
Starmer mentioned he would reconvene European leaders on Saturday “to debate subsequent steps” within the plan for an “assurance pressure” deployed to Ukraine to discourage Russia from attacking once more.
The Kremlin mentioned it wished to listen to straight from the US earlier than commenting on the ceasefire proposal. Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday mentioned Russia anticipated the US to “inform us of the main points of the talks and the agreements that had been reached”.
A name between Putin and Trump might be organised “in a short time”, Peskov mentioned, however added the White Home had but to request one.
Russia’s SVR overseas intelligence service on Wednesday mentioned its director Sergei Naryshkin had spoken by cellphone along with his US counterpart, CIA chief John Ratcliffe, with the 2 companies agreeing to maintain up common contact.
Whilst Russian forces stored urgent forward within the Kursk area, advances on the remainder of the frontline appeared to stall. Ukrainian troops managed in latest days to carry again Russian assaults across the logistical hub of Pokrovsk, and launched daring counter-attacks in direction of the centre of Toretsk, an industrial metropolis Russian forces reached in August.
On the Pokrovsk entrance, one drone operator reacted to the information of the advised ceasefire with one Ukrainian phrase: “Pobachymo” — “We’ll see.”
Extra reporting by Raphael Minder in Warsaw, Henry Foy in Brussels and Felicia Schwartz in Washington; cartography by Steven Bernard
