U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that thousands of Ukrainian troops are surrounded by the Russian military in the Kursk region and said he has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to spare them, APA reports citing Politico.
However, both Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Kursk and the Ukrainian high command say Trump is wrong. Ukraine is pulling back from the Russian territory it captured in a surprise offensive last summer, but those forces have not been encircled.
The Ukrainian command has sent reinforcements to secure the retreat to new positions, a process that has been under way for several days.
But that's not the view from the White House after Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin on Thursday night.
“We had excellent and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end — BUT, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS ARE COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump is parroting earlier comments by Putin, who made a similar claim during a Thursday press conference alongside Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin said that the Ukrainian soldiers who invaded Russia’s Kursk region “have completely abandoned their equipment, as there will be a physical blockade of the region — they either die or surrender to leave the region."
Trump is following that narrative.
“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all!!!” Trump said.
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