By admin 
In his first address after becoming the US President for the second time, Donald Trump gave strong indications that he could take significant steps to stop the Russia-Ukraine war. He also expressed his desire to establish himself as an ambassador of peace around the world. Since then, there has been speculation that Trump could convince Russia and Ukraine to stop the war. Recently, Trump sent his special envoy Steve Witkoff on his first visit to Moscow. After his visit, Russia showed warmth in relations with the US and released American citizen Mark Fogel, who had been imprisoned on drug trafficking charges since 2021.
Fogel was released and arrived at the White House to meet with Trump on Tuesday night. Trump appeared overjoyed by the release. During a campaign rally, Trump promised Fogel’s 95-year-old mother that he would free her son. Trump told reporters that Russia had treated us very well. He also claimed that another American citizen was scheduled to leave Russia on Wednesday. However, he did not provide details. “I hope this is the beginning of a relationship where we can end the war,” Trump said.
There has been no comment from Russia on this matter, but the White House has called it a kind of exchange deal. Let us tell you that in December, the Russian Supreme Court refused to consider Fogel’s appeal against his 14-year sentence, but now he has been released under this deal. It is important to mention here that earlier this week, Trump had raised the possibility that Ukraine could become part of Russia any day, which Moscow immediately welcomed.
On the other hand, Ukraine has become worried due to the growing rapprochement between Russia and the US. Now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a U-turn and said that he is ready to exchange occupied land, including Kursk, with Russia. Zelensky had refused to hand over any territory to Russia after the Russian invasion in February 2022 but in an interview published in The Guardian on Tuesday, Zelensky said that Kiev is ready for serious talks before meeting US Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. Vance has been opposed to the heavy military aid being given to Ukraine.
“We are ready to exchange one region for another,” Zelensky told The Guardian. He named the Kursk region and said he was ready to change it. Last year, Ukraine seized the region as part of an offensive strategy. Zelensky also acknowledged that Ukraine cannot obtain security guarantees from European partners alone, so he is ready to accept American conditions for security guarantees.
Gill Bikram Singh