Russia declares never to exchange land with Ukraine

Today (February 12), the Kremlin emphasized that Russia will never discuss the possibility of exchanging Ukrainian territory that it controls for lands in the western province of Kursk that are in the hands of the Kyiv government's army.

The town of Sudzha in Kursk (Russia) is now controlled by Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 12 that Russia rejects any proposal to exchange territory with Ukraine.

"That is impossible," TASS quoted Mr. Peskov at the daily press conference, adding that the Moscow government has never and will never sit at the negotiating table on the issue of territorial exchange.

The Kremlin spokesman affirmed that Russia will expel Ukrainian forces from its territory, but did not share plans to achieve this goal in the near future.

That was Russia's blunt response after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Guardian that he planned to swap territories with Russia to end the fighting, including the possibility of exchanging areas that Ukraine controls in Kursk.

Since launching its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia now controls nearly 20% of Ukraine's territory, or more than 112,000 ^square kilometers. Ukraine controls about 450 ^square kilometers in Russia's Kursk province, according to open-source war maps.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov meets with newly appointed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Photo: Rustem Umerov/Facebook

Also on February 12, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said he had his first meeting with new US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Reuters reported.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 26th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, Belgium. This is the first meeting hosted by the UK instead of the US, after Washington changed its foreign and security policy under the administration of President Donald Trump.

Mr. Umerov did not provide any details about the meeting with Mr. Hegseth, only a photo of them together.

The conference is expected to focus on efforts to coordinate support for Ukraine, including expanding military production, providing financing for new businesses and increasing arms supplies through enhancing Europe's military industrial capacity.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nga-tuyen-bo-khong-bao-gio-doi-dat-voi-ukraine-185250212180716723.htm