Vladimir Putin has said Ukrainian troops involved in a counter-offensive will have to "surrender or die" before he agrees to a ceasefire.
Russia today rejected a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire drawn up by the US and Ukraine after a nine-hour meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. 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."
Putin also recalled his visit to Kursk yesterday, where Russian troops are attempting to repel a Ukrainian counteroffensive in their own territory. He said "the situation is fully under our control, and the group that invaded our territory has been fully isolated". The Russian leader added that Ukrainian troops can no longer leave the area, and they will have to "surrender or die". He identified the fighting in the region as one of the issues preventing a deal being reached.
It comes as Donald Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow today for high-level talks with Vladimir Putin aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The property mogul, who was appointed to a senior White House foreign policy role by Trump, is expected to meet with the Russian president after his visit was confirmed by US officials and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who said the meeting would be held behind closed doors in the Kremlin.
Mr Ushakov said Russia would not agree the the current ceasefire proposal as it would "give us nothing," adding that it would "only give the Ukrainians a chance to regroup, consolidate their forces and keep doing the same in the future." He said Putin wants a "long-term peaceful settlement that takes into account Moscow's interests and concerns", echoing statements from Putin himself.
One defence and security analyst told the Mirror that he does not believe the US be able to persuade Russia to change its position - and that the West should prepare for war with Russia within "the next decade". Michael Clarke said: "The only issue regarding Ukraine, in the Kremlin's mind, is the timescale in which they re-absorb Ukraine into Russia - next year or so, or wait until Trump is out of the White House.
"The Kremlin also has an agenda to weaken Europe in all ways possible and thinks it is on a roll now so there will be a sense of military momentum behind what Russia plans next." He said any ceasefire that is reached would be an "unstable truce from the start", adding: "Better than nothing but it hasn't got much doing for it and Russian will spin out the negotiations for a first 30-day truce to make it difficult for the US to pin down."
On Wednesday, Donald Trump threatened Vladimir Putin with "devastating" consequences if he does not sign the ceasefire deal. The US president said "it’s up to Russia now" and suggested he could hit the country with potential further sanctions after they rejected the proposals. Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, he said: "I can do things financially that would be very bad for Russia. It would be devastating for Russia. But I don't want to do that because I want to see peace." Trump also mentioned the disastrous meeting in the Oval Office between himself and Zelensky earlier this month, adding: "We're getting close to maybe getting something done. As you know, I've always said that Ukraine might be the more difficult party. I had somebody that didn't want peace, now he wants peace."