A potential peace deal between Moscow and Kiev would involve swapping territory, the US president has said
US President Donald Trump has again said that a land swap for peace will be discussed at the upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. His statement clashes with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky’s earlier refusal to consider any territorial concessions.
“They’ve [Russia] occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine,” Trump said, implying that some areas might remain under Russian control in a future settlement.
The Lugansk People’s Republic, Donetsk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became part of Russia following referendums held in 2022. Crimea voted to join the country in 2014, following the armed Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev.
Trump previously also suggested that upcoming negotiations could involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” However, on Saturday, Zelensky rejected any land-swap proposals, citing limitations imposed by Ukraine’s constitution.
During his press conference, Trump expressed frustration over Zelensky’s insistence that any territorial concessions to Russia would require constitutional approval. The US president questioned how Zelensky had the legal authority to wage war but could cite legal constraints against trading land.
“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, well, I have to get constitutional approval,” Trump said, adding, “I mean, he’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap[.]”
In a post on X on Sunday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga also wrote: “No rewards or gifts to the aggressor to appease him,” adding that “every concession invites further aggression.”
Russian officials have repeatedly said that any peace deal must address the root causes of the conflict and reflect the realities on the ground.
