Putin lands in Kursk: Remove Ukrainians from the territory as soon as possible

Russia has presented the United States with a list of demands for an agreement to end its war in Ukraine and restore relations with Washington, Reuters reported, citing confidential diplomatic sources. It is not clear what exactly Moscow has included in its list or whether it is ready to engage in peace talks with Kiev before accepting them. Russian and American officials have discussed the terms in personal and virtual talks over the past three weeks, Reuters reported. They described the Kremlin's terms as broad and similar to demands it has previously made to Ukraine, the United States and NATO, A2 CNN reports.

Those preconditions included Kiev's lack of NATO membership, an agreement not to station foreign troops in Ukraine and international recognition of President Vladimir Putin's claim that Crimea and four provinces belong to Russia. Russia has also in recent years demanded that the US and NATO address what it has called the "root causes" of the war, including NATO's eastward expansion. Some US officials, lawmakers and experts fear that Putin, a former KGB officer, would use a ceasefire to intensify what they say is an effort to divide the US, Ukraine and Europe and undermine any talks. The Russian embassy in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, A2 CNN writes.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Kursk region, which has been under Ukrainian control for a year. Dressed in military fatigues, Putin ordered top commanders to defeat Ukrainian forces as quickly as possible.

"Our task is to in the nearest future, in the shortest possible time, completely defeat the enemy that has penetrated the territory of the Kursk region and is still conducting military operations here, to completely liberate the territory of the Kursk region, to restore the situation along the state border line. And, of course, we need to think, I would ask you to think about the future and the creation of a border zone," Putin said.

Russia's lightning advance at Kursk threatens Kiev's counterattack at a crucial moment in the war when a possible ceasefire hangs in the balance. (A2 Televizion)