Putin Silent on '30-Day' Ceasefire Proposal, Wearing Military Uniform at Meeting in Fierce Battle Zone Kursk

Trump Pressures Russia to Accept Ceasefire Proposal
Putin's Visit to Kursk Signals Effective Rejection of Ceasefire

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, who is under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a '30-day ceasefire,' was seen holding a meeting in the border region of Kursk Oblast. The fact that President Putin personally visited the Russian-Ukrainian military confrontation area the day after the U.S. and Ukraine suddenly agreed on a ceasefire proposal has been interpreted as a message effectively rejecting the ceasefire offer.

AFP Yonhap News

On the 12th (local time), videos released by the Kremlin and Russian state media showed President Putin spreading out a map on a desk and receiving a report from the Russian military chief of staff.

According to TASS and Interfax news agencies, President Putin said at the meeting, "The mission to defeat the enemy in Kursk has been accomplished, and I expect the territory in this area to be liberated as quickly and completely as possible." This was Putin's first visit to the area since the Ukrainian military invasion.

Putin's visit was not originally scheduled, and analysts interpret it as a message that he will not accept the '30-day ceasefire' demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump. Previously, the U.S. and Ukraine held a high-level meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and agreed on a plan for Russia and Ukraine to observe a 30-day ceasefire. President Trump urged Russia to accept the ceasefire, saying, "Now it is up to Russia."

The Kursk region that President Putin visited is located in southwestern Russia and is currently partially occupied by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine claimed to have once controlled an area of 1,000 square kilometers around Kursk but lost a significant portion back amid Russian offensives.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said on the same day, "The Russian military's attempt to encircle our troops in Kursk has failed." Syrskyi posted on his social media, "Our units are not at risk of encirclement and are taking timely measures to move to a favorable defensive line."

While the Ukrainian military admits to being pushed back by Russian forces in the Battle of Kursk, they claim they are not surrounded. On the same day, Commander Syrskyi emphasized, "The border between the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine and Kursk is still fully controlled by Ukraine."