Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk have lost ground in recent days, but have not been encircled by Russian forces, despite recent claims by US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

In the last seven days, both leaders consistently stated that "thousands" of Ukrainian soldiers have been encircled by the Russian army in the Kursk area.

Trump stated he had requested Putin to show mercy toward them.

I have emphatically asked President Putin to spare their lives. Such an event could lead to a horrific slaughter unseen since World War II," Trump stated. "God bless them all!!!

However, both Ukrainian officials and military leaders have refuted these allegations, stating that Ukraine is withdrawing from the Russian territories it seized during an unexpected offensive in the previous summer, though they emphasize that none of their troops have been surrounded.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that they have found "no geographically located evidence" suggesting that Russian troops have surrounded a substantial number of Ukrainian forces in Kursk or at any other points along the Ukrainian front line.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Tuesday that Russian troops are amassing along the frontier with the Kursk Oblast near Ukraine’s Sumy region and could be gearing up for fresh assaults there, alongside potential operations in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

The ISW suggests that these strategies could potentially be indicative of an alternative approach being considered by Moscow. The Kremlin persists in insisting that Ukraine relinquish territories not yet under Russian control and establish terms that would facilitate additional land grabs.

This might account for the latest Russian military campaign in the southern area of Zaporizhzhia, where Russian troops are stepping up their efforts, possibly with an eye on capturing Zaporizhzhia city. This escalation comes as the Kremlin persists in demanding that Ukraine surrender control over the entire southern part of the country to Russia.

In recent days, the topic of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is the biggest in Europe, has come up multiple times in discussions between Kyiv and Washington.

On Wednesday, the White House suggested that Ukraine might transfer management of its power facilities to the US as negotiations for an ongoing cease-fire continue.

"The U.S. could greatly assist in operating these facilities using their advanced knowledge of electricity and utilities. Having American entities own these plants would provide the strongest safeguard for this critical infrastructure," stated White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a press conference.

Zelenskyy stated that he talked with Trump about the potential for US help in restoring the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, though not regarding its ownership.

"All nuclear power plants belong to the Ukrainian people," Zelenskyy stated, emphasizing that these facilities are state-owned assets, despite being "currently occupied" by Russia.

Ukrainian officials stated that Russian troops took over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant at the beginning of the comprehensive invasion and subsequently converted it into a military base as well as a starting point for drone assaults aimed at areas controlled by Ukraine.

As stated by the exiled mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, approximately 1000 Russian troops were stationed at the facility premises as of the previous summer.