Ukraine President Volodimir Zelenski said today that North Korean troops have been re -engaged in battles in the Russian region of Kursk, part of which remains under the control of Ukrainian forces after their unexpected invasion last August. A few days ago, Kiev estimated that Pyongyang’s forces had retired from the battlefields due to the great losses they had suffered.

“There have been new attacks in areas of Kursk, involving Russian forces and North Korean soldiers,” Zelenski said in his established video speech.

Trump intends to meet Zelenski next week

American President Donald Trump said today that he is likely to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelenski next week. “We will probably find ourselves next week,” the US president said in a brief conversation with reporters at the White House Oval Office. Asked if the meeting will take place in Washington, Trump replied that “I’m not going to go there” (ie Kiev).

Donald Trump also reiterated that he intends to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the ultimate goal of finding a diplomatic solution to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In the pre -election, Trump had pledged that if he won the presidential election he would stop the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, without ever going into further details on his plan.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski appeared ready for direct negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and other leaders. However, the Kremlin estimated that Zelenski’s particular reference was “empty of meaning”.