The Russian armed forces are in a strong position regarding the surrounded units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kursk region, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday at Andrews military base near Washington before flying to Florida.
"Militarily they are in a very strong position and they have a lot of Ukrainian soldiers surrounded. But I hope nothing happens to them. I asked them not to let anything happen," Trump said.
He stressed that he was "very concerned about the situation on the battlefield". "Now there is a very vulnerable group of Ukrainian servicemen there who are effectively surrounded, and that is not good, because we do not want them to die. Enough people have already died. Let's see what happens," the head of state concluded.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had read the American leader's appeal to spare the lives of Ukrainian servicemen blocked by Russian troops in the zone of the invasion of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region. The Russian leader stressed that Ukrainian armed forces committed crimes against civilians in the Kursk region, which "are classified by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office as terrorism."
Trump said he was "being a little sarcastic" when he repeatedly said he would arrange a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours, even before he took office, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The Republican billionaire was asked to comment on the promise - made repeatedly during the election campaign - in an interview with the show Full Measure, at a time when his administration is still trying to reach a solution 54 days into his second term.
"I was a little sarcastic when I said that," Trump said in a video excerpt from the interview, with the entire conversation set to air tomorrow. "What I mean is, I will settle this issue, and I will settle it successfully."
It was a rare admission from Trump, who often makes exaggerated claims, the Associated Press noted. In May 2023, the Republican said the following during a discussion hosted by CNN: "They are dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I will make it happen - I will do it in 24 hours."
"This is a war that cries out to be settled. I will settle it even before I become president," Trump said during a debate in September with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. "If I win - if I am elected president, what I will do is talk to both of them. I'll bring them together."
The Republican has made that claim often during the campaign.
His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Moscow this week for talks on a U.S.-proposed ceasefire that Ukraine has accepted.
In the interview, Trump was also asked what would happen if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not agree to a ceasefire in the war that began three years ago.
"Bad news for the world because so many people are dying," Trump said. "But I think he will. I really do." I think I know him too well, and I think he will agree."
In a speech last night at the US Department of Justice, he pointed out that positive signals were coming from Russia, and reiterated his belief that it would agree to conclude an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.