The Kremlin said on Wednesday Russia will never discuss trading the Ukrainian territory it holds for areas in Russia's western Kursk region held by Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the Guardian newspaper that he planned to offer Russia a straight territory exchange to help bring an end to the war,

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has reaffirmed Russia's claim to Ukrainian territories. He said it was a fact that a significant part of Ukraine wanted to become Russia and had already become Russia.