Putin threatens to treat Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk as ‘terrorists’ ahead of US envoy’s Moscow visit – live

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Summary of the day so far

Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

US envoys are expected to hold talks with Vladimir Putin by the end of the week. The White House’s Middle East envoy and close Trump ally, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow this week for a meeting with the Russian leader. The White House said US national security adviser Mike Waltz spoke to his Russian counterpart on Wednesday.

Donald Trump suggested he could target Russia financially if it failed to support a 30-day ceasefire agreed at a meeting between Ukrainian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia. The US president warned that if Putin refused to sign the deal, he could “do things financially that would be very bad for Russia”.

Trump met with Ireland’s taoiseach Micheál Martin at the White House where he accused Dublin of stealing the US pharmaceutical industry and the tax revenue that should have been paid to the US treasury. The US president said “of course” he would respond to retaliatory tariffs announced by the EU, of which Ireland is a member, on Wednesday.

Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Ukraine launched its counter-offensive in August. Visiting a control centre in Kursk region used by Russian troops, Putin heard a report from Valery Gerasimov, head of the Russian general staff, who said that Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region were now surrounded. Putin said any Ukrainian soldiers captured would be treated as “terrorists”. Ukraine’s top army commander Oleksandr Syrsky said his troops will continue to fight in Kursk “as long as appropriate and necessary”.

Defence ministers from Europe’s five leading military powers – France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK – met in Paris to discuss support for Ukraine. About 15 countries have “shown an interest” in proposed options for “security architecture” in Ukraine, France’s Sébastien Lecornu said. Germany’s Boris Pistorius said Europe needs a much more unified approach regarding the procurement of military equipment.

UK defence secretary John Healey said European allies will “accelerate” work on forming a “coalition of the willing” to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Healey noted that Keir Starmer is scheduled to host another leaders’ summit on Saturday before further meetings between senior military officers next week.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped for “strong steps” if Russia rejects the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, with further measures “strengthening Ukraine.” If Putin refuses, “I understand that we could count on strong steps. I don’t know the details yet, but we are talking about sanctions and about strengthening Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

Russia is attempting to push the UK embassy in Moscow towards closing, the Foreign Office has said, after the UK expelled a Russian diplomat and their spouse in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of a British diplomat and a diplomatic spouse over allegations of espionage that UK officials strenuously deny.

Greenland voted for a complete overhaul of its government in a shock result in which the centre-right Democrat party more than tripled its seats after a dramatic election campaign fought against the backdrop of Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island.

UK defence secretary John Healey said peace and stability in Europe will only be achieved through “strengthening Nato and standing by Ukraine”.

Healey, in a post on X, said a “united message” had emerged from a meeting in Paris with his counterparts in France, Germany, Italy and Poland.

For our shared security, we are stepping up our collective deterrence and defence.

Britain’s defence secretary John Healey said European allies will “accelerate” work on forming a “coalition of the willing” to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

“The UK and France are jointly leading work on planning to drive the push for peace and drive the arrangements for security guarantees for Ukraine,” Healey said at the joint press conference in Paris.

We are doing this work together, we are cooperating closely with partner nations, we are looking to build a coalition of the willing from Europe and beyond, and from today we are accelerating that work.

Healey noted that Keir Starmer is scheduled to host another leaders’ summit on Saturday before further meetings between senior military officers next week.

France says a 'very broad consensus' among European nations on Ukraine

We reported earlier that the defence ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK met in Paris on Wednseday to discuss support for Ukraine.

Sébastien Lecornu, France’s defence minister, told reporters after the meeting, according to Agence-France-Presse:

There is obviously a very broad consensus emerging … that the first of the security guarantees for Ukraine is obviously the Ukrainian army itself.

Lecornu added that “at this stage, about fifteen countries have shown an interest in continuing this process,” referring to proposed options for a “security architecture” with a view to a lasting ceasefire” in Ukraine.

Here are some images released by the Kremlin showing Vladimir Putin visiting an armed forces’ command centre in Russia’s Kursk region.

Ukraine to keep fighting in Kursk 'as long as necessary', says army commander

Ukraine’s top army commander Oleksandr Syrsky said his troops will continue to fight in Russia’s Kursk region “as long as appropriate and necessary”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Syrsky said:

In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions.

Donald Trump has suggested he could target Russia financially if it refused a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.

Trump said he had got “positive messages” regarding the ceasefire, but “a positive message means nothing”. US envoys were currently en route to Russia, he added.

He did not directly promise to target Russia with sanctions if Russian president Vladimir Putin does not sign the deal, but said he could “do things financially that would be very bad for Russia”.

“I don’t want to do that, because I want to get peace,” he added.

Putin says captured Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk will be treated as 'terrorists'

Russia’s chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said his forces had captured about 430 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, state news agency Tass reports.

Gerasimov, in a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin at a command post in Kursk, said:

The Ukrainian military, seeing futility of further resistance, started surrendering. Four hundred and thirty fighters were captured.

Putin said the captured fighters should be “treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation,” Agence-France-Presse reports.

Putin’s comments suggest the captured soldiers could face trials in Russian courts and be jailed for decades.

Putin visits Kursk for first time since Ukrainian incursion

Russian president Vladimir Putin visited troops involved in the counteroffensive in the Kursk region on Wednesday, according to state media.

Putin’s visit to the western Russian region was his first since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region.

In televised remarks reported by Agence-France-Presse, Putin said:

I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy.

Russian state news agency Tass reported that Putin held a meeting at a command post used by Russian forces, where he received an update from Valery Gerasimov, chief of general staff.

Russia is attempting to push the UK embassy in Moscow towards closing and has no regard for the escalatory impact of such a move, the Foreign Office has said.

The UK expelled a Russian diplomat and their spouse on Wednesday in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of two British diplomats for alleged espionage, a claim UK officials strenuously deny. In a strongly worded statement, the Foreign Office said:

During the past 12 months, Russia has pursued an increasingly aggressive and coordinated campaign of harassment against British diplomats, pumping out malicious and completely baseless accusations about their work.

“It is clear that the Russian state is actively seeking to drive the British embassy in Moscow towards closure and has no regard for the dangerous escalatory impact of this,” it added.

A senior Foreign Office official summoned the Russian ambassador, Andrey Kelin, and told him that the UK would not stand for the intimidation of British embassy staff and their families.

White House confirms Trump envoy to visit Moscow this week

The White House has confirmed that the US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, spoke to his Russian counterpart today.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said that US envoy Steve Witkoff is going to Moscow this week for talks on a Ukraine ceasefire.

“Mr Witkoff is travelling to Moscow later this week,” Leavitt said, after Donald Trump said US negotiators were “going to Russia right now”.

'Putin, over to you': UK's Healey calls on Russian leader to accept ceasefire

Britain’s defence secretary John Healey has called on Russian president Vladimir Putin to “accept the ceasefire, start negotiations and end the war.”

Healey, at a joint press conference with his French, German, Italian and Polish counterparts in Paris, said:

I say to President Putin, over to you now. You say you want to talk. Prove it. Accept the ceasefire, start negotiations and end the war.

“Make no mistake, the pressure is now on Putin,” he added.