Recently, Russian media have been discussing potential territorial exchange scenarios as a way to end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, leading Western outlets such as Bloomberg, The New York Times, and Telegraph report on the differing perspectives.
Bloomberg notes that Russian President Putin is allegedly open to talks about territory swaps to halt the war. During conversations with allies, former US President Donald Trump has evaluated the prospects for a ceasefire and believes that Putin may consider negotiations on such terms. Trump, however, stresses that meeting with Putin is possible only if the Russian leader also meets with Zelensky.
The New York Times argues that Putin is mainly interested in Ukraine's neutrality, no NATO membership, establishment of a pro-Russian government, reduction of Ukrainian armed forces, and overall control over Ukraine, rather than simply territorial exchanges.
The Telegraph, citing analysts, reports that China has a vested interest in prolonging the war in Ukraine, as the conflict exhausts both US and Russian resources. Additionally, new US tariffs against India for energy cooperation with Russia have affected the oil market, demonstrating Western pressure on Kremlin allies.
Ukrainian experts believe Russian narratives around territorial exchanges are primarily propaganda aimed at sowing confusion. The scenarios described by pro-Kremlin political analyst Markov lack official confirmation and are used to test the environment.
Overall, a scenario in which the war ends through a territorial exchange appears unlikely, as Kremlin’s key goal remains full control over Ukraine.
