Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk have retreated in recent days, but are not encircled by Russian troops, contrary to recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, reported Reuters citing three American and European officials, referring to data from American intelligence agencies, including the CIA. They claim that the intelligence data was passed to the White House as early as last week.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to assert that Ukrainian troops are encircled in the Kursk region in western Russia. In a social media post on March 14, Trump said he asked the Russian president to spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainians who, according to him, were "completely surrounded" and vulnerable. Putin said he would do so if they surrendered. Trump also repeated the statement about "encircled" Ukrainian forces during a speech at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Monday and in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, experts called Putin's statement on March 13 that Ukrainian forces in Kursk are cut off and will ultimately have to "surrender or die" as disinformation, intended to show that Russia is making concessions by saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, giving Putin leverage in ceasefire negotiations. "This is likely part of Putin's efforts to show that they are winning the war, that resistance is futile, and that the greater power of Russia will inevitably bring victory. This resonates with Trump," said retired Marine Colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mark Cancian.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denies that Ukrainian forces are encircled and stated that Putin is lying about the reality on the ground. However, he acknowledged that his army is in a difficult position in Kursk and that he expects continued attacks from Russia, which is trying to push Ukrainian forces out of the region.