President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Russia’s occupied Kursk region on Wednesday, as the Kremlin considers a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with his troops closing in on Ukraine’s only territorial bargaining chip.
Wearing military uniform in video broadcast by Russian state television, Putin told frontline troops that Moscow’s goal is to “completely liberate” Kursk as soon as possible, during his first trip to the western region since Ukraine’s unexpected incursion there last year.
Putin’s carefully choreographed visit appeared designed to boost morale as Russian forces advance on the final remnants of Ukraine’s holdouts inside Russia, a day after peace talks between US and Ukrainian officials resulted in Kyiv accepting a 30-day US-backed ceasefire covering the entire frontline.
Russia’s lightning advance in Kursk threatens Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining counter at a crucial time in the war when a potential ceasefire hangs in the balance.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the ball is now in Putin’s court as US representatives headed to Russia “right now as we speak,” to discuss the ceasefire proposal.
“We’re going to have to see. It’s up to Russia now,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as he declined to comment on whether he has a meeting scheduled with the Russian leader.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Putin was “carefully studying” the proposal, as Moscow waits to be briefed by US officials in the coming days.
Hours later, Russian state media footage showed Putin meeting with his top general Valery Gerasimov in Kursk before delivering a speech to soldiers, in which he urged them to oust the remaining Ukrainian forces in the region and raised the possibility of creating a “buffer zone” along Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers captured in Kursk should be treated as “terrorists,” Putin added.
Ukraine launched its shock incursion into Kursk in August, swiftly capturing territory in what was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II. As well as capturing land that could potentially be swapped for Russian-occupied territory, the campaign aimed to divert Moscow’s resources from the front lines in the east.
But Ukraine has struggled to hold onto its captured territory, with its grip on the region rapidly deteriorating in recent days.
On Wednesday, Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces had recaptured more than 86% of the area taken by Ukraine, that 430 Ukrainian soldiers had been taken prisoner – and the remaining Ukrainians were surrounded.
Kyiv’s hopes of using Kursk as a bargaining tool in negotiations had “totally collapsed,” Gerasimov claimed.
Peskov on Thursday said the operation to oust the remaining Ukrainian forces has entered its final stage, state news agency TASS said.
Ukraine’s army has admitted to being driven out of several settlements in Kursk by Russian forces in recent days.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskyi hinted at further tactical retreats to “more favorable positions,” saying his priority was to “save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.”
Russia had carried out airstrikes on its own land, including the town of Sudzha, which was “almost completely destroyed,” Syrskyi added.
Trump’s Special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia later this week, though it is unclear whether he plans to meet with Putin, with whom he met last month.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in the Oval Office, noted that conversations are happening “on the phone and in person with some of our representatives over the next couple of days.”