US President Donald Trump claimed that following discussions between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, an end to the war is within reach.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end.”
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In the same post, Trump claimed that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded by Russian forces. This may have been in reference to recent Russian gains in Kursk Oblast, a western region of Russia where, in a surprise incursion, Ukraine gained and has held a foothold since August last year.
Within that region, Ukrainian troops have reportedly withdrawn from the key city of Sudzha to other parts of Kursk.
Trump added that he had urged Putin to spare their lives: “This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!”
However, the Ukrainian military quickly dismissed the Trump claim, indicating that it was Russian disinformation aimed at political manipulation and to put pressure on Ukraine and its allies.
“The situation has not changed significantly over the past day. Combat operations in the operational zone of the Kursk group of forces continue,” the General Staff reported in a statement shared via Telegram.
Trump’s Efforts to Brown Nose Putin Continue
The General Staff confirmed that Ukrainian forces had regrouped and moved to stronger defensive positions in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, and were continuing their assigned combat tasks.
“Our soldiers are repelling enemy offensives and inflicting effective fire damage with all types of weapons. Since the beginning of the day, 13 combat clashes have taken place in the Kursk sector. There is no threat of encirclement of our units.”
At the time of publication, the Trump administration had not disclosed further details of Witkoff’s meeting with Putin, but National Security Advisor Mike Waltz urged “cautious optimism.”
Witkoff had met with Putin on Thursday night, having, on Tuesday, been in talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine agreed to Washington’s 30-day ceasefire proposal.
At the Moscow meeting, Witkoff conveyed the details of the US proposal and received “additional signals” from Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Friday that Putin and Trump are set to discuss the US-proposed ceasefire with Ukraine, but only after Witkoff delivers Putin’s response to Trump.
“When Mr. Witkoff brings all the information to President Trump, we will determine the timing of a conversation,” Peskov said, adding that both sides see a need for direct talks.
“There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic,” Peskov said.
Putin, after meeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, said he agreed to a ceasefire “in principle” but needed to study conditions, citing the challenge of enforcing it along a large front line. He questioned if Ukraine would use the pause to “continue forced mobilization, to continue rearming.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the former KGB officer’s words as “another Russian manipulation.”
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