From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / March 15, 2025
As Ukraine regains footing in Kursk, Russia leverages claims of encirclement while talks with Washington hang in precarious balance
Summary of the Day – March 15, 2025
The diplomatic chess match intensified on March 14 as a high-stakes American peace initiative teetered between tentative progress and potential collapse. President Volodymyr Zelensky declared the Kursk operation had “completed its task” while Ukrainian forces regroup, even as Putin and Trump traded dramatic claims about encircled troops that Kyiv flatly denied. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones struck deep into Russian territory, targeting critical infrastructure as European allies rallied with fresh military support amid fears that Putin remains fixated on his ultimate goal: control over Ukraine.
Disputed Narratives: The Phantom Encirclement of Kursk
The Ukrainian General Staff issued a pointed denial on March 14 of Russian claims that its forces were surrounded in Kursk Oblast, dismissing the assertions as politically motivated pressure tactics. “The units have regrouped, moved to more favorable defense lines and are completing their assigned tasks in Kursk Oblast,” the statement read, directly contradicting both Trump and Putin’s dramatic declarations.
Voice of Ukraine 