Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Ukraine would consider exchanging Russian territory captured in the Kursk region for Ukrainian land occupied by Russia, should negotiations take place to end the war.
“We will exchange one territory for another,” Zelensky said in an interview with The Guardian. However, he clarified that he is unsure which territory Kyiv would demand in return.
“I don’t know; we will see. But all of our territories are important—there is no prioritization here,” he added in the interview published on February 11.
In the past, Zelensky has ruled out ceding any Ukrainian territory to Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Missile Strikes on Kyiv and Sumy
The interview was released just hours before another deadly Russian missile strike on Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that missiles struck the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of February 12, killing at least one person and injuring three others.
“Russia carried out a missile strike on Kyiv and the surrounding region,” said Andriy Yermak, head of Zelensky’s office. “This is how [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to end the war,” he wrote on Telegram.
Emergency services were dispatched to at least four districts of Kyiv, with fires reported in residential buildings. Meanwhile, missile strikes in the Sumy region on February 11 killed two civilians, wounded two others, and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, according to regional military authorities.
Trump’s Push for a Peace Deal
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed skepticism over continued American support for Ukraine, has been advocating for a peace settlement and increasing diplomatic efforts in recent days.
His envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, will attend the Munich Security Conference and later travel to Ukraine.
Trump has frequently complained about the cost of U.S. aid to Ukraine, suggesting that Washington should receive something in return.
“They can make a deal, maybe they won’t, maybe one day Ukraine will become Russian, or maybe not. But we have all this money going there, and I say we should get something out of it,” Trump said in a Fox News interview on February 10.
Rare Earth Minerals as a Bargaining Chip
Zelensky revealed to The Guardian that he proposed a deal to Trump last year, offering the U.S. primary access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as part of a potential agreement to end the war.
He highlighted Ukraine’s vast reserves of uranium and titanium, the largest in Europe, and warned that allowing these resources to fall into Russian hands could lead to their distribution to North Korea, China, or Iran.
Recently, Trump has mentioned rare earth minerals as a key element in a Ukraine peace deal, stating that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will visit Ukraine to discuss these resources.
Zelensky said he plans to present Trump administration officials with a more detailed plan regarding rare earth minerals and potential investment opportunities for American companies as part of Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
He also emphasized that U.S. military aid remains crucial for Ukraine’s security.
“Security guarantees without America are not true security guarantees,” Zelensky stated, renewing calls for more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems.
