Russia will spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region if Kyiv orders them to surrender, President Vladimir Putin has said after US President Donald Trump urged him to avoid a “horrible massacre” there.

After clinging for more than seven months to a gradually shrinking area, Ukraine has seen its position worsen sharply in the past week.

Vladimir Putin has issued a chilling command to the Russian Army, urging them to "finally defeat the enemy," casting a shadow over peace talks with Ukraine that have barely started, for which President Volodymyr Zelensky had two key demands.