Zelensky proposes land swap with Russia amid peace talks
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has officially confirmed for the first time that he plans to propose to Russia an exchange involving a portion of the Kursk region for Ukrainian territory. "We will swap one territory for another," he stated, while noting that he is not certain which part of the Russian-occupied lands Ukraine will seek in return.
President Zelensky expressed his intention to trade part of the Kursk region, currently controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for the Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation. This proposal is expected to be presented during the upcoming peace talks.
"We will swap one territory for another," he reiterated, adding that he is unsure which specific part of the Russian-occupied lands Ukraine will request in return. "But all our territories are important, there is no priority," Zelensky emphasized in an interview with The Guardian.
In the same interview, Zelensky mentioned that if U.S. President Donald Trump ceases support for Ukraine, "Europe alone will be unable to fill the gap."
"We aren’t going to complain that some programmes have been frozen, because the most important thing for us is the military aid and that has been preserved, for which I’m grateful … If the American side has the possibility and desire to continue its humanitarian mission, we are fully for it, and if it doesn’t, then we will find our own way out of this situation," he added.
