Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a chilling ultimatum to Ukrainian troops involved in the counteroffensive, ordering them to "surrender or die" before Russia agrees to the ceasefire.

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His warning comes as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russia's response to the ceasefire plan was "very predictable" and "very manipulative". Zelensky alleged that Putin was "afraid to say directly to President Trump that he wants to continue this war".

Did Russia reject the ceasefire?

Russia, as per reports, rejected the 30-day ceasefire plan drawn up by US and Ukraine after Tuesday's nine-hour long meeting in Saudi Arabia. Putin said that while he agrees with the proposal in principle, the terms are yet to be worked out and noted that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace.

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When asked about the ceasefire, Putin thanked US President Donald Trump for trying to get a truce done, but suggested that he would not agree to it in its current form. "We agree with the proposal for a ceasefire to cease hostilities, but we proceed from the fact that this ceasefire should lead to an enduring peace, and should remove the root causes of this crisis," said the Russian President.

Talking about his recent Kursk visit where he was seen wearing army fatigues, Putin said "the situation is fully under our control, and the group that invaded our territory has been fully isolated".

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He then issued a dire warning and said that Ukrainian soldiers can no longer leave the area, and they will have to either "surrender or die".

Ukrainian soldiers or 'terrorists'?

Putin's warning comes a day after the Russian president during his Kursk visit threatened to treat the hundreds of captured Ukrainian soldiers 'as terrorists'.

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On Wednesday, as Putin visited troops involved in the counteroffensive in the Kursk region, Russia’s chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, claimed that around 430 Ukrainian troops had surrendered in the region, where Ukraine launched a surprise counteroffensive last summer.

Putin, who appeared in military fatigues, responded coldly, saying that the prisoners would be ‘treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation.’

(With inputs from agencies)