Russia close to ejecting Ukrainian forces from Kursk

Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from the western Russian of Kursk has entered its final stage, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russia’s chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said his forces had captured about 430 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, state news agency Tass reports.

Putin said the captured fighters should be “treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation,” Agence-France-Presse reported.

Putin’s comments suggest the captured soldiers could face trials in Russian courts and be jailed for decades.
Putin on Wednesday visited the western Russian region of Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region.

US envoys are expected to hold talks with Putin by the end of the week. The White House’s Middle East envoy and close Trump ally, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow this week for a meeting with the Russian leader. The White House said US national security adviser Mike Waltz spoke to his Russian counterpart on Wednesday.

Donald Trump suggested he could target Russia financially if it failed to support a 30-day ceasefire agreed at a meeting between Ukrainian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia. The US president warned that if Putin refused to sign the deal, he could “do things financially that would be very bad for Russia”.

The Kremlin has said it is studying the proposed ceasefire and further details, which spokesman Dmitry Peskov said will come “via various channels” over the course of the next several days.

In the Oval Office, Trump said that he believes a ceasefire would make sense for Russia, adding – without further details – that there is a “lot of downside to Russia” as well.

“We have a very complex situation solved on one side. Pretty much solved. We’ve also discussed land and other things that go with it,” Trump added. “We know the areas of land we’re talking about, whether it’s pull back or not pull back.”

To pressure Russia, Trump said that he “can do things financially”.

“That would be very bad for Russia,” he said. “I don’t want to do that because I want to get peace.”