Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly open to exchanging territory with Russia after an attempted Ukrainian military offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. The Ukrainian leader has offered to return the land Ukrainian forces now occupy in Kursk in exchange for land Russia occupies. Zelensky was not specific about what territory he wished to regain in the trade.
“I don’t know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority,” Zelensky told the Guardian newspaper in an interview on Tuesday, February 11.
The announcement by Zelensky comes after Ukraine attempted a new offensive in the Kursk region earlier this month. Russian Defense Ministry sources claim that Russian military forces repelled the attack, while Ukrainian sources claim their forces had made some advances in the area.
President Zelensky recently expressed a desire to meet with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks. Putin and the Kremlin, meanwhile, refuse to recognize Zelensky as the legitimate leader of Ukraine, arguing that his term as president ended last year in May. Under Ukraine’s current martial law status, no new elections have been held.
President Donald J. Trump has stated that he spoke with President Putin this week on ending the conflict, but he did not go into detail on what was said. President Trump has vowed to end the war and negotiate a ceasefire.
