Trump says ‘thousands’ of Ukrainian soldiers encircled in Kursk; Ukraine says that’s ‘untrue’ – POLITICO

KYIV — 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.

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.