Donald Trump in his social network TruthSocial reported on a conversation with Vladimir Putin and stated that he «strongly requested to preserve the lives of Ukrainian soldiers». According to Trump, Ukrainian troops are «completely surrounded by Russian military and are in a very difficult and vulnerable position». It is likely that this refers to the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine then stated that the claims do not correspond to reality and «are created by Russians for political purposes and pressure on Ukraine and its partners». According to the Ukrainian side, the situation has not undergone significant changes in a day, and hostilities in the operational zone of the «Kursk» troop grouping continue. The General Staff clarified that the Defense Forces have regrouped and retreated to more advantageous defense lines. They are fulfilling their assigned tasks in the territory of the Kursk region.
Earlier, OSINT projects and analysts reported that the Ukrainian army withdrew from its positions almost without a fight, making a tactical decision to regroup.
Vladimir Zelensky stated that the Kursk operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fulfilled its task, thanks to which the situation in the Pokrovsk and Kharkiv directions stabilized, and it will now be extremely difficult for Russia to create a threat to Pokrovsk again.
In the evening, Vladimir Putin expressed his understanding of the situation before an operational meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council of Russia. «We understand President Trump's call to be guided by humanitarian considerations regarding these servicemen», — he said, noting that «in the event of laying down arms and surrendering, Ukrainian soldiers will be guaranteed life and decent treatment», which is already guaranteed by the Geneva Convention.
At the same time, he classified the regular army as terrorists. «Ukrainian militants committed numerous crimes against the civilian population in the invasion zone. These acts are qualified by the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation as terrorism», — Putin reported.