Trump shares details of "productive discussions" with Putin

US President Donald Trump has stated that Washington had "good and productive discussions" with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday 13 March.

Trump noted on TruthSocial that there is now "a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end".

"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," he said.

Meanwhile, he claimed that "THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY", likely echoing the Russian propaganda machine's portrayal of recent events in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

"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!!!" he wrote.

Notably, Trump did not clarify whether he had a direct conversation with the Kremlin leader during these talks.

On Thursday 13 March, Putin responded cautiously to the US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, neither rejecting it outright nor accepting it, but suggesting that Moscow might set its own conditions.

Trump said Putin had made a promising statement but insisted it was incomplete. He also said that if Russia did not agree to a 30-day ceasefire, it would be "a very disappointing moment for the world".