Zelenskiy Ready to Swap Kyiv-Held Land in Russia’s Kursk Region for Ukrainian Territories

A view shows a building, damaged during a recent fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in controlled by Ukrainian army the town of Sudzha, Kursk region, Russia August 16, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a building, damaged during a recent fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in controlled by Ukrainian army the town of Sudzha, Kursk region, Russia August 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Ready to Swap Kyiv-Held Land in Russia’s Kursk Region for Ukrainian Territories

A view shows a building, damaged during a recent fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in controlled by Ukrainian army the town of Sudzha, Kursk region, Russia August 16, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a building, damaged during a recent fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in controlled by Ukrainian army the town of Sudzha, Kursk region, Russia August 16, 2024. (Reuters)

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would offer to swap land Ukrainian troops control in Russia's Kursk region in exchange for a return of Ukrainian territories Russia currently occupies if negotiations took place.

"We will swap one territory for another," Zelenskiy said in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper published on Tuesday.

Zelenskiy did not specify the Ukrainian territories he would ask for. "I don't know, we will see. But all our territories are important, there is no priority," he added.

Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukrainian territory in the country's east and south as the full-scale invasion it launched on February 24 approaches its third anniversary.

Ukraine staged a surprise offensive into the Kursk region of western Russia last August and still holds part of the initially captured territory, although its size has dwindled in the course of Russian counter-attacks.

Kyiv officials say the Kursk operation was meant to protect border regions and that captured land could be used as a bargaining chip in any peace negotiations, whose prospects have risen since Donald Trump returned as US president.

Zelenskiy has repeatedly stressed that any plan to end the war in Ukraine should provide for strong security guarantees from allies to ensure no future Russian aggression is possible.

Trump said on Friday he would probably meet Zelenskiy this week to discuss ending the war. He indicated on Sunday that he had been in contact with Putin, without specifying when. The Kremlin neither confirmed nor denied those contacts.



Netanyahu Says He Will Seek to Dismiss the Head of Israel’s Internal Security Service

 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu Says He Will Seek to Dismiss the Head of Israel’s Internal Security Service

 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday he will seek to dismiss the head of the country's internal security service this week, following a power struggle over the Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu said in a statement he has had “ongoing distrust” with Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, and “this distrust has grown over time.”

The Shin Bet is responsible for monitoring Palestinian armed groups, and recently issued a report accepting responsibility for its failures around the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. But it also criticized Netanyahu, saying failed government policies helped create the climate that led to it.

The tensions boiled over this weekend when Bar’s predecessor, Nadav Argaman, said he would release sensitive information about Netanyahu if it is found that the prime minister had broken the law. Netanyahu accused Argaman of blackmail and filed a police complaint.

The Shin Bet did not have an immediate response to Netanyahu's announcement.

Netanyahu has resisted calls for an official state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack and has tried to blame the failures on the army and security agencies. In recent months, a number of senior security officials, including a defense minister and army chief, have been fired or forced to step down.

Bar had been one of the few remaining senior security officials since the Oct. 7 attack to remain in office.

Netanyahu said removing Bar from his position would help Israel “achieve its war goals and prevent the next disaster.” The prime minister is expected to appoint a loyalist in his place, slowing any momentum for the commission of inquiry.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a good-governance civil society group, called Netanyahu’s announcement a “declaration of war on the rule of law” and claimed that he does not have the authority to take the step against Bar because of investigations into his own office.

Netanyahu is also angry that the Shin Bet is investigating members of his staff for their dealings with Qatar. The Shin Bet, and Bar, have been closely involved with the hostage negotiations during the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu recently removed Bar from the negotiating team and replaced him with a loyalist, Cabinet minister Ron Dermer. Israeli media have reported on deep policy differences between the negotiators, who have pushed for a hostage deal, and Netanyahu, who continues to threaten to resume the war.