Washington: US President Donald Trump made a direct appeal on Friday to Russian President Vladimir Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers trapped on the frontline. His statement followed what he described as "very good and productive" discussions aimed at brokering a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine after three years of conflict.

Productive Discussions on Ceasefire
Trump’s comments came after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow to work out the details of the proposed ceasefire plan. Sharing his optimism on his Truth Social platform, Trump said there is a "very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later clarified that Trump had not personally spoken to Putin on Thursday night, although she did not rule out the possibility of a call in the near future. According to Trump, he has spoken with Putin "numerous" times since returning to office, with at least one officially confirmed call in February that sparked the current ceasefire negotiations.

An Urgent Plea for Ukrainian Troops
In an emotional message, Trump expressed deep concern for what he claimed were "thousands" of Ukrainian troops surrounded by Russian forces. "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!!!" he wrote.

However, Ukrainian officials quickly denied Trump's claim about their troops being encircled and in such dire circumstances.

Russia's Position and Recent Developments
In the past week, Russian forces have reportedly been pushing Ukrainian troops out of Russia’s Kursk region, an area Kyiv briefly occupied last year. Kursk had served as a critical bargaining chip for Ukraine, which has been under pressure since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 and its earlier annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that Putin had sent "additional" signals to Trump regarding the ceasefire and stated it was "cautiously optimistic" about the possibility of reaching a deal. It also noted that both sides agree on the need for direct talks between Trump and Putin, though no date has been set for such a conversation.

US and Ukrainian Joint Efforts
Envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Putin marked a significant step in the joint US-Ukrainian initiative to broker peace. The Kremlin acknowledged the progress made and reiterated the importance of continued dialogue to finalize any ceasefire agreement.