Kyyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested a potential land swap with Russia as part of any future peace negotiations, according to an interview published by The Guardian on Tuesday.
At the same time, he stressed that Europe alone could not provide Ukraine with sufficient security guarantees without the involvement of the United States.
Zelensky is set to meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday during the Munich Security Conference. Vance, a vocal critic of U.S. aid to Ukraine, will represent Washington as the Trump administration pushes for an end to the nearly three-year-long war.
In his remarks, Zelensky dismissed the idea that Europe could offer credible security guarantees without U.S. backing. "Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees," he stated.
The Ukrainian president revealed that Kyiv might propose a territorial exchange, mentioning land Ukraine seized in Russia’s Kursk region six months ago. However, he did not specify which territories Ukraine would request in return, emphasizing that all Ukrainian lands hold equal significance.
Meanwhile, Moscow claims to have annexed five Ukrainian regions—Crimea in 2014, followed by Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia in 2022—though it does not fully control all of them.
Amid mounting international pressure, former U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that his special envoy, Keith Kellogg, will soon visit Ukraine to draft a proposal aimed at stopping the conflict. While Trump is pushing for a swift resolution, Kyiv remains concerned that any settlement lacking strong military commitments—such as NATO membership or the presence of peacekeeping forces—would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future Russian aggression.
In a bid to strengthen U.S. support, Zelensky has proposed granting American companies key roles in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. He emphasized Ukraine’s vast natural resources as an opportunity for foreign investment, noting that it would create jobs for Ukrainians while ensuring profits for American businesses.
The talks in Munich come as Russian forces continue to advance in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, capturing several settlements after months of heavy bombardment.
