Media: Zelenskyy hints at territorial exchange in bid for peace with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed plans to offer Russia a territorial exchange, potentially relinquishing land Kyiv has controlled in Russia’s Kursk region since launching a surprise offensive six months ago.

In an interview with The Guardian, Zelenskyy said, "We will swap one territory for another," but added, “I don’t know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority," Caliber.Az reports.

While he did not specify which part of Russian-occupied land Ukraine would seek in return, Zelenskyy’s comments came as he shifted focus to the prospect of dialogue with former US President Donald Trump. Reflecting on his relationship with the current US administration, Zelenskyy noted that it was still too early to evaluate President Joe Biden’s handling of the crisis.

Relations between Kyiv and Washington had reportedly become more strained as Zelenskyy’s team grew frustrated with Biden’s caution in managing the risks of escalation. When asked whether he believed Biden would be remembered as the leader who helped save Ukraine or the one who was too slow to act against Russian aggression, Zelenskyy laughed, calling it “very difficult” to say at this stage.

Zelenskyy also expressed his criticism of Biden’s initial hesitation to provide Ukraine with weapons, saying, “This lack of confidence gave confidence to Russia.” However, he acknowledged the US’s subsequent support, stating that Ukraine was grateful for all the assistance received.

Looking to the future, Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of understanding the full context of the ongoing conflict. “History shows that there are many things that you just don’t know, what happened behind the scenes, what negotiations there were … it’s hard to characterize it all today because we don’t know everything. Later we will know, we will know everything,” he said.

Regarding the potential role of international peacekeepers, Zelenskyy dismissed the idea of UN troops as ineffective. “I don’t think that UN troops or anything similar has ever really helped anyone in history. Today we can’t really support this idea,” he remarked.

The Ukrainian president stated that his country would only support a peacekeeping contingent if it were part of a broader security guarantee, underlining that such an arrangement would be impossible without American involvement.

By Aghakazim Guliyev