Ukraine has dismissed claims that its troops are trapped in Kursk Oblast amid Russia’s ongoing offensive in the region.

Kyiv’s response followed President Donald Trump’s statement that he had urged President Vladimir Putin to “spare” encircled Ukrainian troops during their discussions.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military and in a very bad and vulnerable position.”

Also on Friday, at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, Putin stated that some Ukrainian troops “are blocked” in the embattled Kursk Oblast.

However, Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of claiming the encirclement of rival forces “for political purposes and to put pressure on Ukraine and its partners.”

In an update, the General Staff confirmed that Ukrainian units had regrouped, moved to more favourable defensive positions, and were completing their assigned tasks in Kursk Oblast.

“There is no threat of encirclement of our units,” the statement read. “Our soldiers are repelling the enemy’s offensive and inflicting effective fire damage using all types of weapons.”