KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin called on Friday for beleaguered Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to “surrender” as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russian leader of seeking to sabotage a ceasefire initiative.

United States (US) President Donald Trump urged Putin to spare the lives of the Ukrainian troops as he said his envoy had held “productive” talks with Russia’s leader on a proposed 30-day ceasefire.

Russia has mounted a rapid counteroffensive in the western border region of Kursk over the past week, recapturing much of the territory Ukraine seized in a shock incursion last August.

Defeat in Kursk would be a major blow to Ukraine’s plans to use its hold on the region as a bargaining chip in peace talks for the three-year-old war.

“We are sympathetic to President Trump’s call,” Putin said in remarks broadcast on Russian television.

“If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment,” Putin said.

Trump said “thousands” of Ukrainian troops were “completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position.”

“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II,” Trump said.

Ukraine’s military leadership denied the claims. “There is no threat of our units being encircled,” Ukraine’s General Staff posted on social media.

Zelensky gave a more sober assessment in comments to reporters in Kyiv. “The situation in the Kursk region is obviously very difficult,” he said, while insisting the campaign still had value.

Meanwhile, Russia’s military said Saturday it had downed 126 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly over its southern Volgograd and Voronezh regions, after Moscow rejected an immediate ceasefire proposed by the US.

Putin said this week that while he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, he had “serious questions” about implementation and wanted to discuss them with Trump.

The defense ministry said 64 drones were intercepted over Volgograd and neighboring Voronezh and the rest targeted border regions.

Ukraine has launched drones into Russia throughout Russia’s offensive and on Monday attacked the Moscow region with the largest amount of drones since the conflict began in 2022.