Ukraine lost hundreds of troops on the battlefield on the same day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a fiery fallout with President Donald Trump in the White House – underlining the high-stakes nature of the tense negotiations.
The Ukrainian army lost over 220 troops in the Kursk Region in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, per the Russian news agency Tass. The Kursk region, also known as Kursk Oblast, is located in western Russia and borders the northeastern part of Ukraine.
The troops were killed as 11 armored combat vehicles, 12 motor vehicles and seven artillery pieces were destroyed by the Russian army.
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An infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, seven drone control points and an ammunition depot were also “wiped out,” the statement reads.
The heavy losses come as talks between Trump and Zelenskyy publicly fell apart on Friday, in a discussion where Vice President JD Vance highlighted Ukraine’s struggles to recruit troops.
“During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel [it] now, but you will feel it in the future,” Zelenskyy said.
That comment irked Trump and drew him into the clash which ultimately led to the talks falling apart, a canceled press conference and a minerals deal off the table.
Exact numbers of war casualties are hard to quantify due to conflicting reports and limited access to reliable data.
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Trump has previously said that “millions” of troops have perished, but Zelenskyy reported earlier this month that around 45,100 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed with an additional 390,000 wounded.
A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimates that a minimum of 172,000 Russian troops have been killed and 611,000 wounded, of which at least 376,000 are severely wounded.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of “disrespecting” the U.S. during their meeting Friday and said the Ukrainian leader was not ready to secure peace for his country.
“I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighboring nation. Trump had repeatedly said while on the campaign trail that if he had been president in 2022, the war would not have broken out — vowing to end it if re-elected.
Fox News’ Diane Stancy and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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