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Top Russian officials have rejected Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to end the nearly three-year-old war by swapping territories occupied by Russian and Ukrainian forces, including Russia’s Kursk oblast.
Russian Security Council’s deputy chairperson Dmitry Medvedev explicitly rejected the Kyiv offer and said it would be “nonsense” to swap Russian and Ukrainian territory in future peace talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will “never discuss” exchanging its territory.
The latest stance from Russia shows Vladimir Putin is “uninterested in making any compromises during future peace negotiations“, the Institute for the Study of War said.
Yesterday, Donald Trump said he spoke with Vladimir Putin about starting negotiations immediately to end the war in Ukraine.
The US and Russian president discussed the matter on an hour-and-a-half phone call yesterday, in which Mr Trump said the pair agreed to “work together, very closely”.
“We each talked about the strengths of our respective nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together,” Trump said in a social media post. “But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the war with Russia/Ukraine.”
UK rules out Ukraine peace talks without Kyiv at the table
British defence secretary John Healey has ruled out peace talks on Ukraine without Ukrainian participation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Nato defence ministers’ meet in Brussels, Mr Healey said: “There can be no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine”.
He also responded to US president Donald Trump’s comments on the Ukraine war and said says Nato’s job is to “put Ukraine in strongest possible position for any talks”.
The defence secretary said new announcements are expected on supporting Ukraine through Nato, with billions in new firepower for Ukrainian fighters on the front line.
“We want to see durable peace and no return to conflict and aggression,” Mr Healey said. “Let’s not forget Russia remains a threat well beyond Ukraine.”
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 07:30
Sweden says Ukraine’s future Nato membership not ‘off the table’
Ukraine could still become a Nato member in the future if it fulfils all conditions, Swedish defence minister Pal Jonson said today.
“I don’t foresee the Nato membership as such being off the table for Ukraine,” Mr Jonson said before a meeting of defence ministers of the Nato alliance in Brussels.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 07:23
Putin call with Trump shows Russia will never be defeated, his aide says
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful Security Council, said that the call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump showed that any Western hopes of defeating Russia would never be achieved.
“There is not and cannot be a main country and a senior ruler of the planet,” Mr Medvedev said today. “This lesson should be learned by the arrogant American elites.”
“It is impossible to bring us to our knees. And the sooner our opponents realise this, the better,” he said.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 07:05
Polish PM says Ukraine, US and Europe must work together to bring peace
Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work together to bring about a just peace in Ukraine, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said late yesterday.
Donald Trump said both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky expressed a desire for peace in separate phone calls with him yesterday, and Mr Trump ordered top US officials to begin talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
“All we need is peace. A JUST PEACE,” Mr Tusk said in a post on X. “Ukraine, Europe and the United States should work on this together. TOGETHER,” he said.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 06:54
US defense chief Hegseth calls return to Ukraine’s original borders ‘unrealistic’
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Nato membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and in sweeping remarks suggested that the way forward for Ukraine was for the country to abandon hopes of a return to its pre-2014 borders and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia — one that should be backed up with an international force of troops.
Mr Hegseth made the comments on Wednesday during the first trip to Nato and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group by a member of the new Trump administration. Allies have been waiting to hear how much continued military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine’s government.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 06:47
Former Ukraine president Poroshenko says Kyiv imposed sanctions on him
Former president Petro Poroshenko said that Ukraine‘s National Security and Defence Council had adopted sanctions against him, and accused political rival president Volodymyr Zelensky of being behind the move.
“The National Security and Defence Council has just adopted an unconstitutional, politically motivated decision to introduce sanctions against me, Petro Poroshenko as the leader of the opposition and the fifth president,” Mr Poroshenko said in a video statement.
After a popular uprising led Ukraine’s pro-Russia president to flee, Mr Poroshenko, a confectionery magnate, was elected in 2014. But he lost the 2019 election to Mr Zelensky and he has been dogged by allegations of wrongdoing and mismanagement.
Mr Poroshenko, who heads the largest opposition bloc in Ukraine’s parliament, did not disclose terms of the sanctions but alleged the president stood personally behind the action.
“Zelensky today struck a colossal blow to our internal unity which…has been our main weapon in the fight against the aggressor,” he said, referring to Russia’s nearly three-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 06:34
Russia rejects Zelensky’s proposal to swap Kursk territory: ‘Nonsense’
Top Russian officials have rejected Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal of swapping territories occupied by Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Russian security council deputy chairperson Dmitry Medvedev explicitly rejected Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to trade occupied Ukrainian territory for territory held by Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast during future peace negotiations.
He said it would be “nonsense” to swap Russian and Ukrainian territory.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has also said that Russia will “never discuss” exchanging its territory.
The latest stance from Russia shows Vladimir Putin is “uninterested in making any compromises during future peace negotiations and will only comply with a peace agreement that fulfills all of Putin’s maximalist demands in Ukraine,” said The Institute for the Study of War.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 05:52
Kyiv can barter rare earth minerals for post-war ‘security shield’, says Trump’s secretary
The US will provide Ukraine with a post-war “security shield” in exchange for its rare earth minerals, Donald Trump’s transport secretary has said.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the minerals deal was part of a “larger peace deal that Trump has in mind”, adding that his first visit to Ukraine showed that the war was a top priority for the Trump administration.
“By increasing our economic commitment through a partnership with the government and people of Ukraine, that will provide – once this conflict is over – it will provide a long-term security shield for all Ukrainians,” Mr Bessent said.
In response, Mr Zelensky, who is expected to meet US vice president JD Vance in Munich, said: “We had a productive, constructive conversation. For me, the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine is very important, and we talked about minerals in general.”
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 05:21
Zelensky confirms call with Trump for bringing ‘real peace together’
Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his call with US president Donald Trump and said he believes in the America’s strength to push Moscow to peace.
“I had a long and detailed conversation with President Trump. I appreciate his genuine interest in our shared opportunities and how we can bring about real peace together,” he said on X.
“We discussed many aspects—diplomatic, military, and economic—and President Trump informed me about what Putin told him. We believe that America’s strength, together with Ukraine and all our partners, is enough to push Russia to peace,” Mr Zelensky said.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 05:01
Hegseth says return to Ukraine’s original borders ‘unrealistic’
In sweeping remarks, the US defence official suggested that the way forward for Ukraine was for the country to abandon hopes of a return to its pre-2014 borders and prepare for a negotiated settlement with Russia — one that should be backed up with an international force of troops.
Mr Hegseth made the comments yesterday during the first trip to Nato and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group by a member of the new Trump administration. Allies have been waiting to hear how much continued military and financial support Washington intends to provide to Ukraine’s government.
Arpan Rai13 February 2025 04:45
Read More: Ukraine-Russia war live: Moscow rejects Zelensky’s land swap proposal to end war
