Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, dressed in fatigue, visited a command post in front of Kursk late Wednesday for his troops to invade Ukrainian troops on many territories occupied by the Russian border.
The Russian leader’s sharp visit comes the second day after the U.S. delegation met with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, where they agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in the war. U.S. officials plan to submit the proposal to Mr. Putin, who had previously said he was not interested in a temporary truce.
According to the Kremlin photo, Putin was wearing a green camouflage uniform and sat on a table and posted in front of him. He appeared with Valery V. Gerasimov, a senior Russian military officer.
In video released by Russian state media, Putin praised Russian military formations that recaptured many of the territory Ukraine captured in the Kursk region. He called on troops to occupy the territory from Ukrainian forces, which have been occupying part of the Russian border since last summer. Kyiv had hoped to use the territory as a bargain in peace negotiations.
The Russian leader also asked the Ukrainian army to capture prisoners and prosecute them as terrorists under Russian law. General Gerasimov said that more than 400 Ukrainian troops were occupied during the operation.
“People in the territory of the Kursk region, here commit crimes against civilians, against our armed forces, law enforcement agencies and special services, are terrorists under Russian Federation law,” Putin said.
He added that “foreign mercenaries” do not belong to the Geneva Convention for the treatment of prisoners. The conflict began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, causing foreign fighter jets. This month, after Russia was arrested in the Kursk region last year, he sentenced a 22-year-old British man to voluntarily sentenced the Ukrainian army to 19 years in prison for terrorism and mercenary charges.
Russian troops stepped up their offensive this week to drive Ukrainian troops out of the region as Kiev decided last week to freeze U.S. intelligence and military aid to Ukraine after last week’s Trump administration decided to freeze U.S. intelligence and military aid to Ukraine after last week’s explosive confrontation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Trump administration announced it would resume aid after talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
By then, Russian troops were already taking back Sudzha, the main center of the Kursk region’s population, and were captured by Ukraine last year.
For months, Ukraine’s occupation of Russian territory has been a painful point for Moscow, with Moscow working with North Korean soldiers to try to regain the land.
Last Saturday, Russian officials boasted about the breakthrough attack in Kursk, when about 800 combatants traveled about 10 miles through abandoned air pipes to surprise attacks the rear of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, General Oleksandr Syrsky, the Ukrainian supreme military commander, said in a statement that Ukrainian forces are turning to “more favorable positions” when necessary and “as long as distance is held in the Kursk region, as long as it remains reasonable and necessary.” He added: “In the most difficult circumstances, my priority is and remains the protection of the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.”
Mr Putin said any temporary ceasefire or truce would only provide an advantage for Ukrainian troops, and the Ukrainian troops on the battlefield could use probation to supplement personnel.
Russia has asked the West to support a broader security agreement, including guarantees that Ukraine will not be included in the NATO military alliance, and other commitments that could erode Ukraine’s sovereignty.
“We don’t need a truce,” Putin said in December’s annual press conference. “We need peace: a long-term and lasting peace for the Russian Federation and its citizens.”
Marc Santora Reports in Kiev, Ukraine contributed.
