Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Putin's demand after Trump's appeal: "Capitulate"

Agnès Ericson

Updated 23.09 | Published 21.18

Donald Trump claims that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are surrounded in the Russian region of Kursk.

Ukraine hits back and says that is not true at all.

"There is a good chance that this terrible, bloody war will end," Donald Trump writes in a post on Truth Social after his envoy Steve Witkoff spoke with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.

Trump describes the talks as productive and good.

But it is his statement about the Russian Kursk region that has attracted the most attention.

Trump claims that "thousands of Ukrainian troops" are surrounded by the Russian military in Kursk, where they are in what he describes as a "very bad and vulnerable situation."

Therefore, he has asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to spare their lives to avoid a “horrific massacre not seen since World War II.”

Trump claims that “thousands of Ukrainian troops” are surrounded by Russian forces in Kursk. Photo: AP

Zelenskyy’s words: Lies

Ukraine itself has denied the reports that its soldiers are trapped there.

The Ukrainian military believes that this is a false claim.

They believe that the reports are “created by the Russians for political manipulation to exert pressure on Ukraine and its partners,” they write in a post on social media.

Attack in Kursk earlier this year. Photo: AP

The Ukrainian soldiers themselves have said that they withdrew in stages.

“After seven months, we simply withdrew. There was no encirclement,” a senior security official told the Guardian on Thursday.

Zelensky has also commented on the claim.

He accuses Putin of lying about the fighting in Kursk, Russia, to do “everything he can to ensure that diplomacy fails.”

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Zelensky says he sees a “good chance” to end the war with Russia and called on the United States and other allies to put pressure on the Kremlin.

A Russian flag is raised in Kursk. The image was released on Friday. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry/P

Putin: Sympathizes with Trump

But not everyone believes it is false.

Trump’s statement has been supported by Vladimir Putin.

– We sympathize with President Trump’s call, Putin said in a video call in the Russian Security Council that was broadcast on Russian state television.

He then issues an ultimatum to the soldiers fighting in Kursk: Kiev must give the order to surrender.

“If they lay down their arms and surrender, they will be guaranteed life and dignified treatment,” he says.

Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP