President Volodymyr Zelensky said he planned to exchange territories if U.S. President Donald Trump succeeds in bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, according to an interview with The Guardian published on Feb. 11.
Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, initially capturing around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of territory. While Ukrainian forces have since lost roughly half that area, they recently advanced 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) in the region in a new offensive.
The Ukrainian military continues to hold Russian territory that could play "an important part" in future negotiations, Zelensky previously said.
"We will swap one territory for another," Zelensky told The Guardian, without specifying which Russian-occupied land Ukraine would seek in return.
"I don't know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority," he said.
Talk of ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has increased as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
The new administration aims to end Russia's war against Ukraine 100 days from inauguration, Keith Kellogg, Trump's special Ukraine peace envoy, said on Jan. 8.
According to sources in Ukraine's President's Office, cited by RBC-Ukraine, Kellogg will visit Ukraine on Feb. 20 after the Munich Security Conference.
On Feb. 7, the U.S. president revealed he aims to meet Zelensky in Washington the following week. He also recently said that the U.S. wants access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals in exchange for aid. Zelensky has responded that Kyiv is open to mining deals with partners.
Trump has also allegedly spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war. The U.S. president told the New York Post he had a concrete plan to end the war, adding, "I hope it's fast. Every day, people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing."
Martin Fornusek
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