Ukrainian General Staff Refutes Trump’s Claims of Encirclement in Kursk Region

On March 14, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming he urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to “save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers,” who he said were “completely surrounded by the Russian military.”

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has refuted these claims, stating they are based on misinformation spread by Russian sources about the situation in the Kursk region, and confirming that there is no encirclement of Ukrainian forces.

“Kremlin propaganda has been pushing the idea of a ‘complete encirclement’ of Ukrainian troops in the area, but Ukrainian sources have confirmed this is not the case,” General Staff wrote.

The situation on the ground has not changed significantly in the past 24 hours, according to the message. Ukrainian forces have repositioned themselves to more strategic locations and continue to carry out their assigned tasks and are actively repelling Russian offensive actions and using all available weaponry to strike back effectively.

“There is no credible evidence supporting the claims of encirclement. Since the beginning of the day, there have been 13 combat engagements in the region, but no significant shift in the situation. The notion of encirclement appears to be another attempt by the Kremlin to create confusion and apply political pressure,” the message reads.

Previoiusly, it was announced that discussions on Ukraine’s presence in Russia’s Kursk region were part of broader negotiations, but there was no US request for Ukrainian forces to withdraw ahead of a ceasefire, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated during a briefing on March 13.