Vladimir Putin claimed to have sent thousands of Russian troops into Ukrainian territory from Kursk, even as the US pushes for peace.

The Russian president said Russia’s 810th brigade, which contains around 2,500 troops, had “entered the territory of the enemy”.

Kyiv swiftly rejected Putin’s claim, which was also later rowed back on by Russian state media.

“Putin’s information about a large-scale Russian offensive is a lie,” said Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official tasked with countering disinformation.

Russian state media later reported that the 810th brigade was deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Sumy in Ukraine.

Russia’s army initially launched an invasion of the border region of Sumy on Feb 24 2022, but had withdrawn all forces by the start of April that year after Ukraine pushed troops back.

The apparent attempt by Russia to seize more territory in a new part of Ukraine came after Donald Trump said Putin never would have invaded were he president in Feb 2022.

“A half-baked negotiator could have settled this years ago without the loss of much land, very little land, without the loss of any lives,” the US president said, echoing his repeated claim that he would have prevented Putin’s invasion.

Any move by Putin to launch a fresh attack in Ukraine would also mark a major escalation as Mr Trump pushes for a rapid end to the fighting.