US President Donald Trump has warned of a ‘horrible massacre’ one he says has ‘not been seen since World War II’ as he urged Vladimir Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukranian troops
Donald Trump has expressed fears that Russian troops are about to commit “worst massacre since WW2” as he entered into another online rant.
The US President took to his social media platform Truth and urged Vladimir Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukranian troops who are “completely surrounded” by Russia. He 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 — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION.”
He added: “I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!”
It comes after Russia rejected the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire drawn up by the US and Ukraine on Thursday after a nine-hour meeting in Saudi Arabia two days prior. Putin said Ukrainian troops involved in a counter-offensive will have to “surrender or die” before he agrees to a ceasefire, and that fighting in the Kursk region was one of the main issues preventing a deal from being reached.
Asked about the ceasefire at a press conference alongside Belarus’s president Alexander Lukashenko, Putin thanked Donald Trump for trying to get a deal done – but suggested he would not agree to it in its current form. He said: “We agree with the proposal for a ceasefire to cease hostilities, but we proceed from the fact that this ceasefire should lead to an enduring peace, and should remove the root causes of this crisis.”
Speaking about his visit to Kursk on Wednesday – where Russian troops have been attempting to block a Ukrainian counteroffensive – he said: “The situation is fully under our control, and the group that invaded our territory has been fully isolated”. Putin added that Ukrainian troops can no longer leave the area – they will have to either “surrender or die”.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an update on Friday that Russia has sent “additional information” to the US President ahead of a crucial phone call in which Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are due to discuss a proposed ceasefire.
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