Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now states his willingness to negotiate territorial exchanges with Russia about the Kursk region zones his forces captured through their unexpected military offensive from the previous year. Here Zelenskyy shows a new approach after his former position of not giving up Russian-occupied areas.
Russia completed the release of American citizen Marc Fogel from prison when former U.S. President Donald Trump called it a peace gesture to end the war. Trump commented positively about Russia’s move to free Fogel while he occupied the White House again last month because he believed this action represented a possible path to peace.
Zelenskyy plans to meet with US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference where he will stress that American participation is essential for genuine security guarantees. 
The remarks of Trump about Ukraine potentially turning into Russia met strong condemnation from Ukrainian people who described them as “senile insanity.” Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov expressed support for Trump’s words about Russian control of Ukrainian territories that Moscow seized in 2022.
The conflict continues in Ukrainian territory where Russian forces assert dominance in Yasenove Donetsk and Ukrainian officials document human deaths from Russian aerial strikes in Sumy.
The negotiated release of Fogel by Trump envoy Steve Witkoff became part of numerous high-level prisoner exchanges between the United States and Russia. White House officials verified the prisoner swap as a component of a deal which they have not yet publicly disclosed.
Zelenskyy’s proposition for territory exchanges indicates the possibility of a solution to the enduring dispute or marks the beginning of a contentious part in the endless dispute.
