MOSCOW: Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful Security Council, on Wednesday dismissed as “nonsense” Kyiv’s proposal to trade pockets of Russian territory it holds in exchange for Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Guardian newspaper that he planned to offer Russia a straight territory exchange to help bring an end to the war.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008-2012, said Russia had shown that it can achieve “peace through strength,” including through drone and missile strikes which hit Kyiv on Wednesday.
Russia controls just under 20 percent of Ukraine, or more than 112,000 square kilometers, while Ukraine controls around 450 square kilometers of Russia’s western Kursk region, according to open source maps of the battlefield.
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Russia’s Medvedev calls Ukraine’s territory exchange proposals ‘nonsense’
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Russia’s Medvedev calls Ukraine’s territory exchange proposals ‘nonsense’
- Dmitry Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008-2012, said Russia had shown that it can achieve ‘peace through strength’
Erdogan warns Black Sea should not be ‘area of confrontation’ after strikes
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that the Black Sea should not turn into an “area of confrontation” between Russia and Ukraine, after several strikes in recent weeks.
“The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea,” he was quoted as telling reporters aboard his plane, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
A Russian air strike damaged a Turkish-owned vessel in a port in Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa, Kyiv and the operator said on Friday.
The attack came hours after Erdogan had raised the issue personally with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan.
Erdogan had called for a “limited ceasefire” concerning attacks on ports and energy facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war, during the face-to-face talks with Putin, according to his office.
On the plane, Erdogan said he mainly discussed the war and peace efforts with Putin, Anadolu reported.
“Like all other actors, Mr.Putin knows very well where Turkiye stands on this issue,” he said.
“After this meeting we held with Putin, we hope to have the opportunity to also discuss the peace plan with US President (Donald) Trump,” he added.
“Peace is not far away, we can see it.”
Turkiye, which has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil toward the Mediterranean.
Over the past weeks, several attacks also targeted Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea, some of which were drone attacks claimed by Kyiv.
The attacks sparked harsh criticism from Ankara, which summoned envoys from both Russia and Ukraine.
“The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea,” he was quoted as telling reporters aboard his plane, according to the official Anadolu news agency.
A Russian air strike damaged a Turkish-owned vessel in a port in Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa, Kyiv and the operator said on Friday.
The attack came hours after Erdogan had raised the issue personally with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan.
Erdogan had called for a “limited ceasefire” concerning attacks on ports and energy facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war, during the face-to-face talks with Putin, according to his office.
On the plane, Erdogan said he mainly discussed the war and peace efforts with Putin, Anadolu reported.
“Like all other actors, Mr.Putin knows very well where Turkiye stands on this issue,” he said.
“After this meeting we held with Putin, we hope to have the opportunity to also discuss the peace plan with US President (Donald) Trump,” he added.
“Peace is not far away, we can see it.”
Turkiye, which has sought to maintain relations with Moscow and Kyiv throughout the war, controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil toward the Mediterranean.
Over the past weeks, several attacks also targeted Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea, some of which were drone attacks claimed by Kyiv.
The attacks sparked harsh criticism from Ankara, which summoned envoys from both Russia and Ukraine.
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