Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Saturday that the Ukrainian army has been driven out from the last village Gornal in Russia’s Kursk region. Also, Russia has confirmed for the first time that North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside Russian soldiers in Kursk.
The army’s chief of general staff praised their heroism in helping to evacuate Ukrainians. However, Kiev has denied Russia’s claim. Kiev officials have said they are still present in Belgorod, another Russian region bordering Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces captured a large area in the Kursk region last August. Russian forces, with the help of North Korean troops, were trying to drive them out. Putin said the expulsion of Ukrainian forces from Russian soil has opened the way for further Russian successes inside Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said North Korea had sent a total of 14,000 troops. Trump and Zelensky held talks for the first time after the altercation in the Oval Office. US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who went to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, held a brief meeting at St. Peter’s Basilica.