The Kremlin has announced that all Ukrainian troops have been expelled from Russia’s Kursk region and confirmed for the first time the involvement of North Korean soldiers in the fighting, while Donald Trump questioned Vladimir Putin’s willingness to end the war.
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Ukrainian forces within Kursk had been repelled, nine months after their unexpected incursion—the first by a foreign army into Russian territory since the Second World War. Gerasimov claimed that Ukraine had experienced “huge losses.”
Putin stated in a carefully orchestrated video meeting broadcast on state television that the “Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed.”
A senior Ukrainian official, however, told the Financial Times that Putin’s claim was untrue, insisting that Kyiv’s forces still held positions in the Kursk region, though the territory they controlled had decreased to about 30 square kilometers from the approximately 1,300 square kilometers captured in August.
The Kremlin’s statement came as Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met briefly at the Vatican before Pope Francis’s funeral. It marked their first in-person meeting since an intense Oval Office encounter in February.
Trump suggested that Russia and Ukraine were “very close” to reaching an agreement after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow for a fourth round of talks. However, in a post on Truth Social following his meeting with Zelenskyy, the U.S. president questioned Putin’s commitment to ending the war, citing recent missile strikes on civilian areas.
Putin maintained a resolute stance, telling Gerasimov that the defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border area would facilitate successful actions by Russian troops in other crucial front zones.
Gerasimov commended the North Korean soldiers for their bravery, noting that they fought “shoulder to shoulder” with Russian forces. More than 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to the region, as confirmed by Ukrainian, South Korean, and American governments—this acknowledgment being the first official confirmation from Moscow.
Ukraine’s General Staff refuted Russia’s claims as “propaganda” and “wishful thinking,” stating that defensive operations continue in specific areas of the Kursk region. It added that multiple enemy assaults had been repelled and that the situation remained challenging but manageable. Zelenskyy aims to establish a “buffer zone” in the region to prevent future Russian assaults.
In August, Ukraine had surprised Russia by crossing into Kursk, capturing prisoners and territory, including the town of Sudzha, to shift the momentum on the battlefield. While this boosted morale and led to the release of Ukrainian prisoners, retaining the captured territory as a bargaining tool has proved difficult.
Russian officials credited North Korea significantly for repelling Ukraine’s forces, with Gerasimov praising their “heroism.” North Korean troops were noted for their effectiveness in small group assaults backed by artillery and air support.
Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers, who remain imprisoned in Kyiv. Additionally, Pyongyang contributed over 200 domestically-produced artillery pieces and rocket systems to Moscow for the Kursk conflict, according to Ukrainian intelligence. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed admiration for Pyongyang’s contributions.
