Putin calls for Ukraine to surrender in Kursk

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on Ukrainian troops fighting in the Kursk region to surrender, after US President Donald Trump urged him to "spare" the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

Trump and Putin said that the Russian army had Ukrainian forces surrounded there -- claims rejected by Kyiv, even as President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded that his forces were coming under increasing pressure.

Russia has mounted a rapid counteroffensive over the last week, recapturing swathes of land and settlements in the western border region from Ukraine.

"We are sympathetic to President Trump's call," Putin said in televised remarks.

"If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment," he added.

"In order to effectively implement the US president's call, (there needs to be) a corresponding order from Ukraine's military-political leadership to its military to lay down their arms and surrender," Putin added.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump had appealed to Putin over what he said were "thousands" of Ukrainian troops "completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position".