Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that Ukraine could agree to stop the fighting along the current front lines, allowing territories occupied by Russia to remain temporarily under Moscow’s control while peace talks continue.
In an interview with Fox News, the Ukrainian president was asked whether he would accept an agreement that suspended the fighting at the positions currently held by each side.
Të lidhura
None found
“Would you accept a peace deal that freezes everything as it is now, with Ukraine keeping 75% or more of its territory?” he was asked. “Yes,” Zelensky replied.
He said that, at this point, freezing the situation is the most likely path to ending the war. In his view, this could be called a ceasefire, or “stop the killing,” as President Trump has described it.
“They are not winning on the battlefield. That is why they want to put all kinds of pressure on us to drive us off our land. That isn’t right. We cannot simply leave our country, our homes. This is about our children. That is why we say we should stay where we are. Let’s turn to diplomacy. It’s a great idea—the ceasefire proposed by the President of the United States,” the Ukrainian president said.
However, he stressed that a temporary halt to hostilities would only be the first phase. For Ukraine, any agreement must include strong security guarantees to prevent Russia from resuming its aggression.
“This is, of course, the minimum we need from Russia today. Then we will turn to the president and the Europeans and ask for security guarantees,” Zelensky said.
“The most important thing is peace, but also the security of that peace. There must be no fear that the occupation will return, that aggression will return, that the killings will return. We have to stop this, and that is why we need a freeze in the fighting and talks,” he added.
According to Zelensky, Kyiv will seek security guarantees from the United States and will also need help from its partners to rebuild and restore the country.
The Ukrainian president’s position comes as Donald Trump increases pressure on Kyiv to reach an agreement with Moscow.
The U.S. president has consistently supported the idea of stopping the fighting along the current front lines. Russia, meanwhile, continues to demand additional Ukrainian territory, including areas of Donetsk that it does not currently control.
Despite these developments, the sides remain far from an agreement on the final status of the occupied territories and on how the postwar security guarantee system would work.
Moscow continues to oppose Ukraine’s membership in NATO, while Kyiv is seeking binding guarantees from Washington and European governments to protect it from another Russian attack.
Zelensky described freezing the current front line as a way to move from military confrontation to dialogue, not as a final resolution of the territorial dispute.
He also said that bringing back the millions of citizens who have left Ukraine because of the war is a top priority.
“We need 9.5 million people who are scattered everywhere. We need them to return to Ukraine, live here and rebuild their country,” Zelensky concluded.
