KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� All Ukrainian troops have been forced from parts of Russia鈥檚 Kursk region, which Moscow lost control of last year to a surprise Ukrainian incursion, Russia鈥檚 top general said in a Kremlin meeting Saturday. Ukrainian officials denied the claim.
Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff for Russia鈥檚 Armed Forces, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin the news in a meeting Saturday, Peskov told Russian state news outlet Interfax.
In a statement, Putin congratulated the Russian soldiers and commanders and said that Kyiv鈥檚 incursion had 鈥渃ompletely failed鈥�.
鈥淭he complete defeat of our enemy along Kursk鈥檚 border region creates the right conditions for further successes for our troops and in other important areas of the front,鈥� he said.
Ukrainian officials, however, said the fighting was still continuing. 鈥淭he statements of representatives of the high command of the aggressor country about the alleged end of hostilities in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation are not true,鈥� Ukraine's General staff said Saturday.
鈥淭he defensive operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in certain areas in the Kursk region continues. The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold designated positions and carry out assigned tasks, while inflicting effective fire damage on the enemy with all types of weapons, including using active defense tactics,鈥� it added.
The Ukrainian army in August 2024 by attacking across the border and taking control of an estimated 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of land. The country鈥檚 leaders believed the capture of Russian territory might help in any future peace negotiations, but their gains were slowly eroded and Ukrainian troops continued to lose control of the territory throughout early 2025.
Gerasimov also confirmed Saturday that North Korean soldiers fought against Ukrainian troops in Russia鈥檚 Kursk region. Gerasimov said that they took part in 鈥渃ombat missions shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen during the repelling of the Ukrainian incursion鈥� and 鈥渄emonstrated high professionalism, showed fortitude, courage and heroism in battle.鈥�
In the fall, Ukraine, the U.S. and South Korea all said that North Korea, which previously had supplied weapons to Moscow, had to Russia to fight in Kursk.
Moscow and Pyongyang until now had responded vaguely to the South Korean and Western claims of the , emphasizing that their military cooperation conforms with international law, without directly admitting the presence of the North Korean forces in Russia.
The news comes as U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Vatican City on the sidelines of the pope's funeral to discuss a potential ceasefire deal.
The presidents met at St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica for about 15 minutes, Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said. Zelenskyy's office initially said that the two leaders would continue negotiations later on Saturday, but Nykyforov later told journalists that there would be no second meeting due to the presidents' tight schedules.
During the meeting, both sides discussed key issues on the path to peace, a source told The Associated Press. The conversation was described as very constructive, with both sides ready to move quickly.
Shortly after arriving in Rome on Friday, Trump said on social media that Ukraine and Russia should on ending the three-year war sparked by Russia鈥檚 invasion. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Friday, and Trump said both sides were 鈥渧ery close to a deal.鈥� Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said Saturday that Putin had told Witkoff Russia was ready to negotiate with Kyiv without any preconditions.
But less than 24 hours later, Trump said he doubted Putin鈥檚 willingness to end the war.
鈥淭here was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn鈥檛 want to stop the war, he鈥檚 just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 鈥淏anking鈥� or 鈥淪econdary Sanctions?鈥� Too many people are dying!!!鈥� he said in a post on Truth Social.
Three people were killed overnight by Russian attacks across Ukraine, local officials said Saturday.
Two people died in a strike on the town of Yarova in Ukraine鈥檚 eastern Donetsk region, local Gov. Vadym Filashkin said in a post on social media. Another person died in the Dnipropetrovsk region, said Gov Serhiy Lysak. Six people were injured, including an 88-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl, he said.
Russia launched three missiles and 114 drones over Ukraine overnight, Ukraine鈥檚 air force wrote in a statement Saturday. Sixty-six drones were destroyed and a further 31 decoy drones failed to reach their destination.
Meanwhile, Russian air defenses shot down 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, the country鈥檚 defense ministry said.
Zelenskyy also met with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the funeral. Later, he met Starmer at the residence of the British Ambassador in Rome.
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Davies reported from Manchester, England. Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.
Samya Kullab And Katie Marie Davies, The Associated Press
