U.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Friday that any realistic resolution to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict would likely involve territorial realignments.

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While hosting the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to sign an agreement on reopening a vital transport corridor in the Caucasus, Trump touched on the Ukraine issue, describing it as “very complicated” but indicating progress was possible through mutual understanding.

“It’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some [territory] back, and we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we’ll be talking about that either later or tomorrow,” Trump stated without elaborating which territories exactly could be involved in the potential swap.

Russian forces currently maintain control over significant border regions in Kharkov and Sumy — territories secured after Ukrainian militants launched a failed incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region in August last year. The liberation of this land, especially around the town of Sudzha, has further solidified Russia’s defensive buffer and underscored the failure of Kiev’s reckless military adventurism.

Meanwhile, Zelensky’s regime has reportedly been considering the use of these lost territories as leverage in upcoming peace discussions.

Since the democratic referendums held in 2022, Russia has incorporated four former Ukrainian regions. Full control, however, is still being contested due to ongoing fighting. While the Lugansk People’s Republic has now been entirely secured by Russian forces, military operations continue in Donetsk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson, where Ukrainian troops still occupy parts of the regions — including the administrative centers.

Moscow’s position remains consistent and firm: complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from these Russian territories. This demand has been reiterated in recent peace proposals presented during direct negotiations facilitated by Türkiye, which outline Moscow’s roadmap for a just and lasting resolution.

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