Russia rejects swapping Ukrainian territory for Kyiv-held parts of Kursk

The Kremlin says Ukrainian forces volition beryllium ‘destroyed’ oregon pushed retired of seized Russian territories.

Russia has rejected trading the Ukrainian territory it occupies for areas successful its ain occidental Kursk region held by Kyiv forces, hours aft launching a barrage of drones and missiles connected the Ukrainian superior that killed 1 person.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters connected Wednesday that accepting the thought floated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful an interrogation precocious connected Tuesday was “impossible”.

“Russia has ne'er and volition ne'er sermon the taxable of exchanging its territory,” helium said, saying that Ukrainian forces holding territory wrong Russia would either beryllium “destroyed” oregon pushed out.

Ukraine staged a lightning incursion implicit the borderline past August and seized chunks of Kursk. Russian troops are inactive battling to eject them. Russia, successful turn, controls conscionable nether 20 percent of Ukraine, oregon much than 112,000 quadrate kilometres. Ukraine controls astir 450 quadrate kilometres of the Kursk region, according to open-source maps of the battlefield.

Zelenskyy said, “We volition swap 1 territory for another,” adding that helium did not cognize which portion of Russian-occupied territory Ukraine would inquire for back. “I don’t know, we volition see. But each our territories are important, determination is nary priority,” helium said.

The Kremlin announcement came aft Ukrainian authorities said that 1 idiosyncratic had been killed and astatine slightest 4 others were wounded – including a kid – successful an onslaught connected Kyiv that damaged flat blocks, bureau buildings and civilian infrastructure.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it had carried retired a “group rocket strike” connected Ukrainian military-industrial sites that nutrient drones and claimed each targets had been hit.

‘Not preparing for peace’

Zelenskyy wrote connected societal media aft the onslaught that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not preparing for bid – helium continues to termination Ukrainians and destruct cities”.

“Only beardown steps and unit connected Russia tin halt this terror. Right present we request the unity and the enactment of each our partners successful the combat for a conscionable extremity to this war,” helium added.

Zelenskyy is owed to conscionable US Vice President JD Vance connected Friday connected the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. US President Donald Trump’s peculiar envoy Keith Kellogg, who is tasked with drafting up a connection to halt the fighting, is besides owed to sojourn Ukraine adjacent week.

Trump took bureau promising to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, perchance by leveraging billions of dollars successful US assistance sent nether erstwhile President Joe Biden, to unit Kyiv into territorial concessions.

Trump besides said connected Monday that Ukraine “may beryllium Russian someday”.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies