Zelensky proposes Kursk swap as Kremlin rejects deal
Russia will never discuss the issue of exchanging its territories, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he would propose to Russia an exchange of part of the Kursk region for territories occupied by Moscow.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed for the first time that he would offer Russia an exchange of part of the Kursk region for Ukrainian territory.
"We will swap one territory for another," he said, but added that he does not know what part of the land occupied by Russia Ukraine will ask for in return.
"Ukrainian formations will be expelled from this territory. They will be destroyed, [they] will be driven away," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday. "Russia has never discussed and will not discuss the topic of exchanging its territory," he added.
Putin stopped talking about Kursk
In December 2024 Ukrainian soldiers told BBC News that they had received orders to maintain control of the part of the Kursk region they controlled since August at least until the inauguration of Trump, which took place on January 20, 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed the need to "push out" Ukrainian troops from Russian territory. However, since January he has stopped publicly mentioning the situation in the Kursk region.
In early January, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted a new offensive, advancing three kilometres (approximately two miles), and in February they broke through defences southeast of Sudzha – in the area of Machnivka and Cherkaska Konopelka villages – and took control of the village of Fanaseyevka.
