World
India
Russian Defense Ministry officials on Thursday claimed that Russian forces have driven the Ukrainian army out of Sudzha, the biggest town in Kursk border region, even as US officials awaited Kremlin’s response to a proposed ceasefire, the Associated Press reported.
Earlier during the day, President Vladimir Putin had made a surprise visit to the Kursk region, where he told troops that Moscow’s goal is to “completely liberate” the area as soon as possible.
Putin’s visit came a day after Ukraine accepted a 30-day ceasefire with Russia after critical peace talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking in a video broadcast by Russian state television, wearing a military uniform, Putin told frontline troops that Moscow’s goal is to “completely liberate” Kursk as soon as possible.
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin was “carefully studying” the proposal, as Moscow waits to be briefed by US officials in the coming days.
According to CNN, Putin had met with General Valery Gerasimov in Kursk, where he addressed soldiers, urging them to oust the remaining Ukrainian forces.
Putin had also raised the possibility of creating a “buffer zone” along Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk should be treated as “terrorists”, the Russian president added.
Ukraine launched a ‘shock incursion’ into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, catching Russia off guard, and quickly gaining control of a significant amount of territory, reports suggest.
