Zelensky rejects Trump’s ‘territory swap’ idea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday reaffirmed his commitment to the country’s territorial integrity, insisting that Kyiv continues to claim all territories now under Russian control, RT reported.

IMAGE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photograph: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

His remarks came shortly after US President Donald Trump suggested that a potential peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv could involve a ‘swapping of territories’ between the two countries ‘to the betterment of both’, according to RT.

Zelenskyy firmly dismissed the idea of making any territorial concessions, saying, “Now Putin wants to be forgiven for seizing the south of our Kherson region, Zaporozhye, the entire territory of Lugansk region, Donetsk region, and Crimea. We will not allow Russia to make this second attempt to divide Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian leader accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking to exchange a ‘pause in war’ for the ‘legalisation of occupation of our land.’

“That was exactly what Putin was after,” Zelenskyy said in a video address.

Crimea broke away from Ukraine in 2014 following the Maidan coup in Kyiv and joined Russia after a referendum.

Four other territories were incorporated into Russia in 2022 after referendums held in each region.

Moscow has demanded a full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories it claims as its own and reiterated this position in a draft memorandum outlining its roadmap for ending the conflict during recent direct talks with Kyiv in Turkiye, RT reported.

In a parallel move aimed at ending the war, Zelenskyy has sought a direct meeting with Putin, following talks in Moscow between Trump’s envoy and the Russian leader, France 24 reported.

‘We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders,’ Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

‘It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed,’ he added.

Zelenskyy said he had also scheduled several talks throughout the day, including with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as French and Italian officials.

“There will also be communication at the level of national security advisors,” he said.

“The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression,” Zelenskyy added, according to France 24.