US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian troops who were “completely surrounded” by Russian forces.

In a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump stated that he made the appeal during a phone call with Putin on Thursday, which he described as “good and productive.”

Trump did not specify the exact location of the Ukrainian troops but was referring to the Russian military’s advance in the Kursk region—an area within Russian territory that had reportedly been seized by Ukraine. Putin visited the region on Thursday to review military progress.

“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,” Trump wrote.

“I have strongly requested President Putin to spare their lives. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II.”

However, Ukraine’s top military commander denied reports that Ukrainian troops were encircled in Kursk, as reported by Reuters, stating instead that they were repositioning to strengthen their defenses.

Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow for talks on Thursday—the same day Putin announced his conditional agreement to a ceasefire plan. The Russian president made it clear that certain conditions must be met before finalizing the deal, primarily that Ukraine must not use the pause to mobilize troops or receive additional military aid.

The US had proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to during a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Ukrainian officials.

—IANS