While on television, the President of Russia assured that if the Ukrainian soldiers were to lay down their arms and surrender, ‘they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment’ Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Ukrainian troops on Friday to lay down their weapons and surrender following a call to him by the US President, Donald Trump to “spare” the Ukrainian soldiers’ lives.
Trump and Putin declared that the Russian military had Ukrainian troops surrounded there — assertions dismissed by Kyiv, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky admitting that his troops were facing mounting pressure. Russia has launched a swift counterattack in the past week, retaking large areas and towns in the western border zone from Ukraine.
“We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call,” Putin stated in televised comments. If they put down their arms and surrender, they will be provided with guarantees for their lives and honourable treatment,” he said. To implement effectively the appeal of the US president, (there must be) a similar order of Ukraine’s military-political leadership to its army to put down their arms and surrender,” Putin continued.
In a posting on his Truth Social site, Trump had implored Putin on behalf of what he termed “thousands” of Ukrainian soldiers “wholly surrounded by the Russian troops and in a very poor and exposed situation”. I have strongly asked President Putin to spare their lives. This would be a terrible carnage, one not experienced since World War II,” he explained.
Moscow has retaken the vast majority of ground Kyiv occupied in its cross-border attack into Kursk last August, including in a lightning counteroffensive in recent days. Ukraine rejected Trump’s and Putin’s assertions and stated that it was retaining land there. There is no risk of our troops being surrounded,” the General Staff posted in a message on social media.
