Trump asks Putin to spare lives of Ukrainian soldiers on front line

US President Donald Trump has pleaded with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, as he expressed hope for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

"I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared," Trump wrote Friday on his Truth Social platform following what he described as a "very good and productive discussions" with Putin.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE 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. God bless them all!!!.”

The US president's statement comes after the Kremlin said that Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was carrying President Putin's message after a ‘secret’ meeting with Russian officials in Moscow. His visit was part of accelerated efforts by the US to bring an end to the three-year-long war.

The Kremlin's statement noted, “Additional information was shared with the Russian side. President Putin asked Witkoff to pass along key messages and further details to President Trump.”

Witkoff reportedly held talks with Russian officials after President Putin laid out his conditional agreement on Ukraine's proposed 30-day ceasefire. The Russian leader stopped short of backing Kyiv's proposals completely but said he wanted to discuss “issues” with Trump.