Zelenskyy: Territory Swap with Russia | Ukraine War

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts:

1. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to give Kursk to Russia if Trump brokers a deal.
2. Ukraine will offer the Russian-held Kursk region in exchange for Russian-occupied territories.
3. Zelenskyy stated, “We will swap one territory for another.”
4. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia in 2022.
5. Zelenskyy also mentioned offering lucrative reconstruction deals to US companies.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth:

Ukraine will offer Russia a swap of Ukrainian-occupied territory in Kursk for Russian-held land in Ukraine if US President Donald Trump brings both countries to the negotiating table, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy’s statement comes at a time when tensions between the US and Russia are high, and Ukraine is trying everything possible to save its land. In this context, Zelenskyy’s offer is surprising.

“We will swap one territory for another,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with UK newspaper The Guardian on Tuesday. He also said that Ukraine would give up the Kursk region in Russia it has held since its surprise incursion into the neighbouring country last August. This move reflects Ukraine’s defensive posture and indicates their willingness to regain their occupied territories at any cost. Asked which Russian-occupied areas Ukraine would demand in return, Zelenskyy said “we will see”. “I don’t know, we will see. But all our territories are important. There is no priority,” he said. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and then took over Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, although Moscow does not have full control over them. The complexities of the Ukraine War are further highlighted by these territorial disputes.

Zelenskyy’s remarks came at a time when Trump said he would end the nearly three-year war in Ukraine soon. Trump has claimed he made some progress by holding conversations with Putin, who told him that he “wanted people to stop dying in the war”. However, Trump administration officials have conceded that Russia and Ukraine would have to give up something to end the fighting, Politico reported. Zelenskyy has called for tough security guarantees if the US chalks out a deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the conflict. “There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine fears that any agreement that is bereft of hard military commitments, including NATO membership or the deployment of peacekeeping troops, would give Russia the time to regroup and mount an attack again on the neighbouring country. During the interview, Zelenskyy said he would offer US companies lucrative reconstruction deals in a bid to woo Trump. “Those who are helping us to save Ukraine will renovate it, with their businesses together with Ukrainian businesses. All these things we are ready to speak about in detail,” he told The Guardian. Earlier on Monday, Trump said he would send his special envoy Keith Kellogg, who is tasked to strike a proposal to halt the fighting, to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine possesses one of the biggest mineral reserves in Europe and said it would not be “in the US’s interests” for those to fall into Russian hands. “Valuable natural resources where we can offer our partners possibilities that didn’t exist before to invest in them. For us it will create jobs, for American companies it will create profits,” he said. The role of Trump in potentially brokering a peace deal is a significant aspect of this ongoing situation.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember:

Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to Russia territory swap on one condition. Ukraine will offer Kursk for Russian-occupied territories. Trump could mediate to end war. Ukraine seeks strong security guarantees. 

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