RUSSIA’S President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday, March 12, ordered prompt defeat of Ukrainian forces in western Russia, ahead of ceasefire talks scheduled for Thursday, March 13.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, March 12, the United States President Donald Trump expressed hope that the Kremlin would accept his government’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine has signaled its willingness to support.
A few hours after Trump’s remarks, the Kremlin released footage of Putin, dressed in a green camouflage uniform, visiting Russia’s western Kursk region, where a swift Russian offensive was poised to drive Ukrainian forces from their last foothold.
“Our task in the near future, in the shortest possible timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region,” Putin said in the video.
Putin, who did not mention the ceasefire proposal, added that “And of course, we need to think about creating a security zone along the state border,”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, displaced millions, devastated towns, and sparked the most intense confrontation between Moscow and the West in six decades.
According to Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, Russia’s leader will meet in Moscow with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and may address the ceasefire proposal later today.
The ICIR reported that the United States agreed on Tuesday to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv, during talks in Saudi Arabia, expressed readiness to support a ceasefire proposal.
“It’s up to Russia now,” Trump said on Wednesday, adding that he hoped the ‘bloodbath’ of the war would end. And if we can get Russia to stop, then we have a full ceasefire. And I think it’ll never go back to war.”
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.