Putin, in military fatigues, orders swift defeat of Ukrainian forces in Kursk

13/3/2025 14:37

Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in military fatigues, ordered top commanders to defeat Ukrainian forces in the western region of Kursk as soon as possible after the United States asked him to consider a 30-day ceasefire proposal.



Ukrainian forces smashed across the Russian border on August 6 and grabbed a slice of land inside Russia in a bid to distract Moscow's forces from the front lines in eastern Ukraine and to gain a potential bargaining chip.



But a lightning Russian advance over the past few days has left Ukraine with a sliver of less than 200 square km in Kursk, down from 1,300 square km at the peak of the incursion last summer, according to the Russian military.



The remarks by Putin, dressed in a green camouflage uniform, came as U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped Moscow would agree to a ceasefire and said that if not then Washington could cause Russia financial pain.