After Trump's demand, Putin calls on Ukrainian forces to "surrender" in Kursk

Trump's latest comments came as he presented the latest developments regarding his ceasefire initiative. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin on Thursday to present details of a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day cessation of hostilities in the three-year-old conflict.

Trump, on his social media platform Truth Social, referred to "very productive and good talks" with the Russian president, adding, "There are great opportunities to end this horrific and bloody war."

Cautious optimism

Putin expressed reservations on Thursday about "important issues" that must be resolved before a truce can be reached, but he was careful not to reject Trump's initiative entirely.

The Kremlin revealed that Witkov, who arrived in Moscow on Thursday, delivered a message from Putin to his American counterpart.

The Ukrainian president warned on Friday that the Russian president was seeking to "drag everyone into endless discussions" while "his weapons continue to claim lives," accusing Putin of seeking to "undermine diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions from the outset, even before a ceasefire."

The Kremlin expressed "cautious optimism" on Friday that an agreement could be reached, while stressing the need for direct discussions between Putin and Trump before the talks could progress.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "When Witkov provides all the information to President Trump, we will set a date for the conversation."

"There is still a long way to go, but the president aligns with President Trump's position," he added.

In an interview with Fox News, US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the United States is showing "some cautious optimism" after Witkoff's visit.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed during a G7 meeting in Canada the need for both sides to make "concessions."

Ukraine had hoped that its control of Kursk would help it negotiate a land swap with Russia, which has occupied about a fifth of Ukraine's territory since annexing Crimea in 2014 and launching a military invasion in February 2022.

On the ground, one person was killed and two others were injured in Ukrainian shelling of the village of Sudzha, which Moscow claimed to have regained control of on Thursday, according to a Russian investigative committee. The committee noted that the shelling destroyed a local museum.

(AFP)