On the 17th, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated on Social Media that as of 8 AM local time that day, there had been 14 clashes between the Russian and Ukrainian armies in the Kursk region over the past day. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a media interview on the 16th that in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian side is conducting defensive operations as planned, "no Ukrainian army units are surrounded," and the information about thousands of Ukrainian soldiers being surrounded is "incorrect." Reznikov stated that the Ukrainian side supports the USA's ceasefire proposal, noting that the pressure is now on the Russian side, and if the Russian side wants to end the war, it should agree to the USA's ceasefire proposal "unconditionally." (Xinhua News Agency)