Russia Rules Out Trading Territory for Kyiv-Controlled Areas in Kursk Region

The Kremlin announced Wednesday that Russia would never consider trading any of the Ukrainian territories it controls for territory in Russia’s west Kursk region, which Kyiv holds. The Guardian reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planned to offer Russia an exchange of territory to end the war. This included offering some areas of Kursk, which Ukraine controls.

Kyiv launched a lightning invasion over the border in August last year and captured chunks of Kursk. Russian troops are still fighting to expel them.

“We will swap one territory for another,” Zelenskyy said, adding he did not know which part of Russian-occupied territory Ukraine would ask for back. “I don’t know, I will wait and see.” “But all of our territories are important. There is no priority,” he said.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, said that Moscow categorically rejected all offers of trade territory. He told reporters in a daily press briefing that “this is impossible”. “Russia never has and will not ever discuss the exchange of its territory.”

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, told Russians during his annual marathon phone-in on December 12 that the Russian troops would eject Ukrainians from Kursk. He did not say when it would happen.

Peskov stated: “Ukrainian forces will be expelled.” “All who are not destroyed will be expelled.” According to maps from open sources, Russia controls less than 20% of Ukraine, or more than 112,000 sq km, while Ukraine controls about 450 sq km of the Kursk area.

The Russians in 2024 made the most progress in Ukraine since the first year of the war, 2022. However, they suffered heavy losses in equipment and men, which were not disclosed.