Photo: cdni-vm.servicecdn
Moscow, 12 February 2025 – Russia has never discussed and will not discuss the exchange of territories with Ukraine. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the proposal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, DW reports.
According to Peskov, the topic of the exchange of territories is “impossible”, and all Ukrainian military personnel in the Kursk region will be either destroyed or displaced.
What has Zelensky proposed?
In an interview with The Guardian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saidthat if Donald Trump can organise talks between Kyiv and Moscow, he is ready to offer Russia a direct exchange of territories.
“We will exchange one territory for another,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the possibility of transferring to Moscow the territories that Ukraine controls in the Kursk region.
At the same time, he stressed that he did not know what part of the Ukrainian lands occupied by Russia Kyiv would ask for in return.
“I don’t know, we’ll see. But all of our territories are important, there is no priority,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive in Kursk region
Ukrainian troops launched an offensive in the Kursk region in August 2024 and took control of a number of settlements.
It is estimated that Russian forces have retaken part of this territory, but the town of Sudzha and about 500 square kilometres remain under Ukrainian control.
Since the beginning of 2025, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have made several attempts to advance in the Kursk region, but there is no independent confirmed data on the situation in the region due to active hostilities.
What’s next?
Zelenskyy’s statement on the exchange of territories was a promising but controversial signal for diplomatic processes. The Kremlin has categorically rejected the idea, and future negotiations, if they take place, remain highly questionable.
