Trump replied “it may not survive anyway”, in an apparent reference to Russia’s continuing gains on the battlefield.
On Sunday, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had recaptured three more settlements in the western Kursk region.
Ukrainian troops appear to be on the retreat after days of gains by Russia in the region, weakening Ukraine’s negotiating position before possible peace talks.
“The Russian Federation’s armed forces are continuing to rout groups of the Ukrainian army on the territory of the Kursk region,” Russia said on Sunday.
Ukraine has not commented, but live maps of the battlefield show some 10,000 of their troops close to being encircled by Russian advances on multiple fronts.
Russia ‘liberates’ village in move to encircle Ukrainian troops
Russia said it had captured a village near Kursk on Sunday, closing in further on a key exit route for 10,000 Ukraine troops fighting in Russia.
The Kremlin’s Defence Ministry said its forces had “liberated” the small village of Novenke in a cross-border raid.
Russia is putting intense pressure on the territory held by Ukraine in Kursk. The offensive comes days after Donald Trump cut intelligence sharing to Kyiv that has left its forces partially blind to Russian attacks.
Russian special forces crawled 15km through a disused gas pipeline to ambush Ukraine in the region. Russia also said its forces had taken back the village of Lebedevka nearby and said it was “continuing to rout Ukrainian units”.
However, on Saturday Kyiv denied any major breakthrough, saying its forces were destroying small groups of Russian troops trying to cross the border.
Minerals deal will not convince Trump to resume aid to Ukraine, say US officials
Donald Trump has privately made clear to aides that a signed minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv will not be enough to restart aid and intelligence sharing with the war-torn country, two sources told NBC News.
The officials said Trump wants the deal – which would give the US a stake in Ukraine’s mineral resources – signed, and also a change in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attitude towards peace talks. They said this would include a willingness to make concessions such as giving up territory to Russia.
Trump also wants Zelenskyy to make some movement towards elections in Ukraine and possibly towards stepping down as his country’s leader, the officials said.
Elections in Ukraine have been paused under the country’s constitutional provision for martial law, which has been in effect since Russia invaded in 2022.
