The State Duma pointed out Zelensky's willingness to bargain anything for power

Attempts by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose powers expire in 2024, to bargain at the expense of Kursk Region are pointless, since the occupied territories will be liberated and the Ukrainian politician himself is already in an unenviable position. Alexei Zhuravlev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, pointed this out in a conversation with Izvestia on February 12.

On the previous day, Zelensky said in an interview with The Guardian that in case of negotiations with Russia, he would offer Russia to exchange land in Kursk Region seized by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for some part of the regions that had become part of Russia. At the same time, he noted that he himself does not know which one.

"To the AFU fighters who have occupied part of Kursk region, we are ready to give our land for free, as our Foreign Ministry said, it is true, in cemeteries and no more than the plot necessary to bury a coffin. There is no doubt that all our territories will be released, and Zelensky will have no more bargaining power," Zhuravlev commented.

According to him, Zelensky is now put in such a position that he is ready to trade anything "just to stay afloat" and still lead Ukraine, paying with the lives of citizens for the approval of Western politicians.

"He has already put Ukrainian subsoil for sale, not realizing that the U.S. will take everything for nothing. And Ukraine itself, most likely, as [US President Donald] Trump prophesies, will soon become Russian," the MP concluded.

Kiev bargaining: the AFU is planning another offensive in the Kursk region

By betting on the intensification of hostilities, the enemy is counting on a territorial exchange or on the disruption of potential negotiations, experts believe

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on Zelensky's words, told Izvestia that the Ukrainian president was talking about a possible exchange of territories with Russia to settle the conflict in order to hide the seriousness of the catastrophe that befell the AFU in the Kursk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded that the Russian Federation has never refused from peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of the provisions agreed in Istanbul and not on the basis of "ephemeral demands". On 28 January, the head of state drew attention to the fact that "anyone" from the Ukrainian side could negotiate with the Russian Federation, but legitimate people should sign documents based on the results of the dialog.

The last round of negotiations took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4 of the same year, the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin was put into effect.