Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says ‘manipulative’ Putin wants to reject ceasefire but is afraid to tell Trump

Putin has now discussed the situation in Kursk, where a rapid Russian offensive has recaptured large pockets of land.

“The situation is fully under our control and the group that invaded our territory has been isolated, fully isolated,” he said.

“Ukraine’s control over the Ukrainian forces has been lost.

“If there is a physical blockade, in the next two days, nobody will be able to leave. There will be only two ways: surrender or die.”

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have said there were 128 clashes on the frontline with one-third in the Pokrovsk sector.

An update on Facebook read: “According to preliminary calculations, today the occupiers in the Pokrovsky direction lost 344 people killed and wounded.

“Our soldiers destroyed three mortars, two cannons, eight vehicles units, 11 motorcycles, a self-propelled artillery rig, eight satellite terminals, four control points and two trenches.”

Top army chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Wednesday he had ordered soldiers to withdraw to more advantageous positions in Kursk, saying preserving the lives of soldiers was his priority.

But some soldiers said it should have happened sooner.

One Ukrainian soldier said he and his comrades defied their company commander’s orders, and made their own decision to retreat.

“We’re sick and tired of sitting under fire all the time,” said the soldier. Because all the main roads are being monitored by Russian drones, he said soldiers are withdrawing in small groups along tree lines to avoid detection.

“All the units that are left there, I don’t know how they (the command) are going to get them out, because all supply chains have been disrupted,” he said, referring to Sudzha and surrounding areas.

“The guys who came out said there were a lot of our dead bodies and a lot of burnt equipment.”

A Russian drone attack has left seven people injured including four children in Kharviv.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram: “Currently, there are seven casualties — four children, two women, and one man.”

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said four strikes have been recorded in the city.

The Ukrainian army stunned Russia in August by attacking across the border and taking control of an estimated 500 square miles of land. It was a much-needed morale boost for Ukraine — but more importantly, the country’s leaders believed the capture of Russian territory might help in any future peace negotiations with its enemy.

Now, after months of intense pressure from Russian forces supported by troops from North Korea, Ukraine only holds about 30% of the Russian land it had seized and its forces are in retreat after a rapid near-defeat in the city of Sudzha.

The invasion of Kursk was intended to redirect Russian forces from inside Ukraine — and the land gained was supposed to help Ukraine get back at least some of the 20% of its country taken by Russia since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

But many soldiers and commanders have long questioned whether it was worth diluting their forces available to defend Ukraine — and those doubts only grew as the retreat from Kursk accelerated.

Sir Keir Starmer has said that he was not surprised by Putin’s “barely disguised” ambitions to delay any ceasefire.

Speaking to the News Agents podcast, Starmer said: “Well, firstly, keep our focus on a lasting and secure peace in Ukraine, which is what we all want.