U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on March 17 that he took an unspecified action to save "surrounded" Ukrainian soldiers, apparently referring to his earlier and unsubstantiated claims of Kyiv's troops being encircled in Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine has denied that its troops in the Russian border region would be encircled, despite acknowledging a retreat from the town of Sudzha amid a rapid Russian advance.
"They’re surrounded by Russian soldiers, and I believe if it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be here any longer. I was able to get them (Russia) not to do anything at the moment," Trump told journalists at the Kennedy Center. The U.S. president has not specified what steps he has taken nor provided evidence of Ukraine's purported encirclement.
Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024 but reportedly lost much of the territory following a Russian counterattack earlier this month. Russian advances, reinforced by North Korean troops, coincided with the U.S. pausing intelligence and military support for Ukraine.
Trump made the comments ahead of a planned call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18 to discuss a possible peace deal for Ukraine. The U.S. president said that "many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains."
The two leaders are expected to discuss a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, which was agreed upon between Kyiv and Washington during talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11. After Ukraine backed the truce, the U.S. resumed its military and intelligence support.
On March 13, Putin signaled openness to the ceasefire but demanded guarantees that Ukraine would not mobilize, train troops, or receive military aid during the truce, raising concerns about renewed Russian aggression.
Yuliia Taradiuk
