EXCLUSIVE: Russia's counteroffensive in Kursk was likely strategically orchestrated amid ongoing peace talks between Ukraine and the U.S., an expert said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in military fatigues, ordered the swift defeat of Ukrainian forces in western Russia, a signal to the United States that Moscow holds the military initiative as they prepare to discuss a ceasefire on Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on beleaguered Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to "surrender" as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russian leader of seeking

Ukrainian forces are under intense pressure in Russia's Kursk region, where they grabbed a chunk of land last August and have held on to it through more than seven months of fierce fighting.

Russian forces have begun an assault on the town of Sudzha, the main population center in the Kursk region that was captured by Ukraine last year, a top Russian commander said on Tuesday. The advance puts Moscow on the verge of ending the first invasion of Russian territory since World War II.