Vladimir Putin said Ukraine must surrender after President Donald Trump urged the Russian leader to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, following ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Russia in Moscow.

The US president said he also asked Putin to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainian troops "surrounded" by Russian military.

President Trump said on Friday he "strongly requested" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "spare the lives" of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, whom he claimed were "surrounded" in the Kursk region in Russia.

Vladimir Putin told a news conference that he agreed with the idea of a ceasefire, but he immediately spelled out tough conditions that appeared to rule out agreement.

Russia’s stalling contrasted with Trump’s rush for a valuable breakthrough as his trade policies set off stock market slumps and cast a cloud over the economy. “I think we’re going to be in very good shape to get it done. We want to get it over with,” Trump said at the Oval Office on Thursday, in an outburst of optimism that jarred with reality.

After Washington brokered a 30-day ceasefire plan for Ukraine, the US president believed the ball was firmly in the Kremlin’s court. But it has been served back and Trump must stand by those his count

Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin over ‘very bad’ consequences if Russia doesn’t get on board the 30-day ceasefire proposal. The ceasefire plans have geared up a notch after the US President warned that he could hurt Russia’s economy if it didn’t sign the deal following the Saudi Arabia talks yesterday.