Kiev, 12 March 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that his acceptance of a ceasefire proposal should show that Ukraine is willing to work towards peace.

"I think that today we had to demonstrate to the whole world our readiness," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kiev.

At a meeting in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah on Tuesday, Ukrainian negotiators agreed to a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire if Russia is on board.

At the press conference, Zelensky said he "did not care" whether or not the United States had discussed this form of ceasefire with Russia in advance.

Zelensky was vague about the situation in the Russian border region of Kursk, where Ukraine is reportedly losing territorial gains it made during a surprise counteroffensive in August.

"Our troops are fulfilling their mission in the Kursk area. The Russians are trying to exert maximum pressure," he said, adding that the Ukrainian military leadership is taking measures to protect its troops.

Earlier on Wednesday, pictures had circulated on social media of Russian soldiers in the centre of the small Ukrainian-occupied town of Sudzha in the Kursk region.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that Russian troops have also pushed Ukrainian units out of five other locations.

According to Ukrainian military observers, Kiev now only controls less than a sixth of the more than 1,200 square kilometres it occupied in August.

Photo: EPA