“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared. This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II. God bless them all.”
Donald Trump wrote that on Truth Social on March 14, saying “thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position.” He offered no evidence. The U.S. president added that his administration had held “productive discussions” with Vladimir Putin.
What Moscow and Kyiv have said
Ukraine has not agreed that its soldiers are trapped. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had said earlier there was no threat of encirclement in Kursk Oblast. On March 12 he conceded a “difficult situation” there, though he said Ukrainian forces would hold their defenses “as long as reasonable and necessary.”
The Russian side painted a different picture. Moscow claimed on March 12 that it had retaken over 86% of the territory seized from it, including the key town of Sudzha, which Ukrainian troops captured when the Kursk incursion began in August 2024. Putin has spoken bluntly about what would happen to Ukrainian soldiers in a complete physical blockade: “surrender or die,” he said.
Ceasefire talks in the background
Trump’s post landed in the middle of ceasefire diplomacy. A day earlier, Putin said Russia was prepared to accept a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire, but demanded that Ukraine stop mobilization, military training and deliveries of foreign aid. He argued the pause would benefit Ukraine.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, reached Moscow on March 13 and met Putin late that evening, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed. Peskov said Russia had sent “additional signals” to Trump about the proposed ceasefire through Witkoff. Trump had called Putin’s remarks “very promising” but “not complete,” and said he is open to meeting the Russian leader.
