Russia and Ukraine reached a tentative ceasefire agreement, but Putin’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure reportedly have not stopped since the ceasefire was announced
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Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both insisted that Ukraine’s forces in Kursk are surrounded by Russian troops and are in imminent danger, but U.S. intelligence reports have contradicted those claims.
A trio of U.S. and European officials familiar with intelligence details of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine told Reuters that the situation on the ground does not reflect the comments made by Trump and Putin.
One of the U.S. officials also said that the White House was briefed on the actual situation in Ukraine, so it’a unclear why Trump has and continues to claim that Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region are surrounded.
On March 14, Trump issued a social media post asking Putin to spare the lives of Ukrainian troops that he described as being "completely surrounded." Putin later said he would spare their lives if they agreed to surrender.
Trump again insisted that Ukrainian troops were surrounded during an appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump have both insisted — despite contrary U.S. intelligence reports — that Ukrainian troops in Kursk are surrounded by the Russian militaryopen image in gallery
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump have both insisted — despite contrary U.S. intelligence reports — that Ukrainian troops in Kursk are surrounded by the Russian military (REUTERS)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied the reports that his troops were surrounded, and accused Putin of lying to gain leverage in upcoming ceasefire negotiations. He did, however, acknowledge that his troops have faced fierce opposition from Russians trying to expel them from the region.
Ukraine has lost almost all of the territory it gained after an August push across Russia's Western border. Open source reports suggest Ukraine only controls approximately 20 to 30 square miles east of Russia's border.
Trump spoke with Putin on Tuesday, at which time Trump said Putin agreed to stop attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was in a position to agree to such a deal, though the details have not been cemented at the time of this report.
Despite the discussed ceasefire, Russian attacks on Ukraine have not stopped. Just hours after the potential ceasefire was announced, Zelenskyy shared images on his Telegram channel showing fires burning after a drone attack in the Kirovohrad region.
“Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, despite its propaganda statements, do not stop,” he wrote alongside the photos.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, residents clear the rubbles following a Russian drone attack in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region, Ukraine on Thursday. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)open image in gallery
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, residents clear the rubbles following a Russian drone attack in Kropyvnytskyi, Kirovohrad region, Ukraine on Thursday. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) (AP)
According to Zelenskyy, 10 people were hurt in the attack, including four children. Nearly 200 drones attacked the area. Ukraine's air force claimed in a Telegram post that it shot down 75 of the drones.
"Yesterday evening, another Russian strike hit our energy infrastructure. We in Ukraine face this every day and night ... And despite Putin's words about allegedly being ready to stop the attacks, nothing has changed," Zelenskyy told European leaders on Thursday.
Ukraine responded by attacking a Russian oil depot on Thursday, prompting Kremlin officials to accuse Zelenskyy of already violating the ceasefire agreement.
U.S. officials are set to meet with Russian and Ukrainian officials to discuss the ongoing war during a meeting in Saudi Arabia on Monday. The meetings are also expected to include discussions about the tentative ceasefire.