U.S. President Donald Trump urged Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Friday to spare Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of its Kursk region, an appeal Putin said he would honor if they surrendered.

Despite flirting with Trump there is little evidence Putin has shifted from his core war goals: cementing his landgrabs in Ukraine and stopping it joining NATO.

Russia’s stalling contrasted with Trump’s rush for a valuable breakthrough as his trade policies set off stock market slumps and cast a cloud over the economy. “I think we’re going to be in very good shape to get it done. We want to get it over with,” Trump said at the Oval Office on Thursday, in an outburst of optimism that jarred with reality.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast doubt on the feasibility of a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, arguing that such a truce could provide Kyiv with an opportunity to regroup and acquire additional military aid from the West.

Russia's Vladimir Putin said he agrees in principle with a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but that the terms need to be worked out.

Vladimir Putin said Ukraine must surrender after President Donald Trump urged the Russian leader to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, following ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Russia in Moscow.

US President Donald Trump has praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as "good and productive". This comes after Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff met in Moscow on Thursday evening,

By Steve Holland, Dmitry Antonov and Andrew Osborn WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump urged Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday to spare Ukrainian troops being pushed back out of Russia's Kursk region and said there was a "very good chance" the war could end.