Putin Offers Condition to Trump to Fulfill Request

Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined the condition under which Russia would be prepared to comply with U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region: the Ukrainian authorities must issue an appropriate order to lay down their arms.

During a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council, Putin emphasized that in such a case, the lives of Ukrainian soldiers would be guaranteed. "I would like to say that we are aware of U.S. President Mr. Trump's message to spare the lives of the Ukrainian army servicemen, whose units are surrounded by Russian troops in the Kursk region within the invasion zone of the Ukrainian armed forces," Putin stated.

He noted that “Ukrainian assault troops have committed numerous crimes against the civilian population in the invasion zone.” He added, “These actions, as I have already said, are classified as terrorism by the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation. At the same time, we understand President Trump’s appeal to act with humanitarian considerations concerning these servicemen,” Putin stated.

He further emphasized, “In this regard, I would like to stress that in the case of laying down their arms and surrendering, their lives and dignified treatment will be guaranteed in accordance with the norms of international law and the laws of the Russian Federation.”

Earlier, on March 14, Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social that “thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are completely surrounded by Russian troops and are in a very bad and vulnerable situation.” He stated he had asked Putin to spare their lives.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin on March 12 that the grouping of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region is surrounded and isolated. At that time, the Russian president stated that Russian forces should treat the captured Ukrainian assault warriors as “terrorists.” Later, the president declared that Ukrainian soldiers remaining in the Kursk region would soon have two options: surrender or be killed.

The day before, on March 13, Putin announced that Russia is open to proposals for ceasing military operations. However, he noted that such an agreement must lead to long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis. The Ukrainian side could utilize a 30-day ceasefire to procure weapons or for forced mobilization, the leader added. Moreover, it remains unclear how the issues of control and verification will be resolved, who will issue the ceasefire orders, and what the cost of those orders will be, he stated.

The proposal for a temporary ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow emerged following negotiations between delegations from Kyiv and Washington in Jeddah on March 11. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to this initiative but noted that the U.S. must persuade Russia to comply.