Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says ‘good chance to end war quickly’ as he urges pressure on Putin

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he sees a “good chance to end this war quickly and secure peace” after Kyiv accepted a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire but Moscow said it would agree only if certain conditions were met. The Ukrainian president also urged the US and other allies to apply pressure on Moscow, reiterating his belief that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will delay reaching a ceasefire for as long as possible. “If there is a strong response from the United States, they will not let them play around,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “And if there are steps that Russia is not afraid of, they will delay the process.” He said separately that Putin “will try to drag everyone into endless discussions … while his guns continue to kill people”.

Vladimir Putin called for beleaguered Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to “surrender”, saying they would be treated with dignity. Donald Trump urged Putin to spare the lives of the troops while he said his envoy had held “very good and productive” talks with the Russian leader on the proposed 30-day ceasefire. Moscow’s rapid counteroffensive in Kursk over the past week has recaptured much of the territory that Ukraine seized last August in the western Russian border region and hoped to use as a bargaining chip in peace talks. “We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call,” Putin said in remarks broadcast on Russian television on Friday. “If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment.” Trump said “thousands” of Ukrainian troops were “completely surrounded by the Russian military and in a very bad and vulnerable position”. Putin, meanwhile, praised Trump for “doing everything” to improve relations between Moscow and Washington.

Ukraine’s military leadership denied the battlefield claims. “There is no threat of our units being encircled,” Ukraine’s general staff posted on social media. Zelenskyy also gave a more sober assessment, saying: “The situation in the Kursk region is obviously very difficult.” He insisted the campaign still had value. Sources in Ukraine and military analysts also said Trump’s claims of a mass encirclement in Kursk were not accurate.

Keir Starmer will urge about 25 world leaders on Saturday to make concrete commitments to support Ukraine and increase pressure on Vladimir Putin to accept the ceasefire. The British prime minister hopes Saturday’s video call will see the so-called “coalition of the willing” come up with firm commitments of help for Ukraine in the run-up to any peace agreement and, after that, to ensure the nation’s security. The meeting will be choreographed to show wide support for Ukraine from western nations, including Europe, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Starmer will be seeking offers of logistical, financial or military support for Kyiv to put it in a strong position for talks. “If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious and enduring peace,” he said in a statement before the video meeting. “If they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.”

G7 foreign ministers warned Russia of new sanctions unless it accepted the ceasefire “on equal terms”, saying sanctions could include “caps on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine, and other means”. France and Germany accused Russia of seeking to block the truce, while Starmer said Moscow has shown “complete disregard” for Trump’s proposal.

A Russian missile struck a residential area in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, injuring 11 people including two children, the regional governor said. Serhiy Lysak posted photos on Telegram showing damage to high-rise apartment buildings, private homes and a building that appeared to house a number of businesses. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration in the city – Zelenskyy’s home town – said two areas took direct hits. One of the sites hit was a night club, he said. In the southern region of Kherson, Russian guided bombs struck a series of targets including a residential area in Kherson city, killing one person, the regional governor said on Telegram. Near the Black Sea city of Odesa, Russian drones attacked the nearby port of Chornomorsk, cutting power to its residents, the regional governor said.

Ukrainian air defences destroyed 130 out of 178 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force said on Saturday.
It added that another 38 drones had been “locationally lost”, typically a reference to electronic jamming, and that Russian forces had also fired two ballistic missiles.

Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko is visiting North Korea, the country’s KCNA state media said on Saturday. Thousands of North Korean troops have been deployed to Ukraine to support Russian forces, according to Ukrainian, US and South Korean officials.

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas would propose that the 27-country bloc supply up to €40bn ($44bn) in new military aid to Ukraine, diplomatic sources have said. Senior EU diplomats, meanwhile, agreed on Friday to a six-month extension of sanctions against about 2,000 Russians including Putin and many senior politicians and businesspeople.