Ukraine is ready to stop the war as soon as possible and freeze the conflict on the current front line, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News.
„Yes, we are ready to stop this war as soon as possible. Let's freeze the conflict on the front line right now“, Zelensky said.
However, he stressed that such an agreement cannot include the recognition of the temporarily occupied territories as part of Russia. According to him, Ukraine will not accept such a condition.
Kiev rejects giving up 25% of territory
When asked if he would agree to a peace agreement that requires Ukraine to give up 25% of its territory, Zelensky answered negatively.
“When someone talks about 25%, it means that we have to give up the entire Donbas. This would mean that they will control 25%. Currently, they control 19.3%“, said the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky has already defined a freeze on hostilities on the current front line as a real way to end the war. He is adamant that this does not mean legal recognition of Moscow's territorial claims.
Possible talks in November
On October 21, US President Donald Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff met in St. Petersburg with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation lasted about three hours.
A day earlier, Witkoff spoke in Oslo with Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland. After the meeting with the American representative, Putin said that Moscow is ready to resume trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia in the second decade of November.
The Associated Press reported that the proposal for a new round of talks is related to Washington's attempts to mediate an end to the war. No final date for the meeting has been announced at this time.
In the interview, Zelensky also reiterated that restrictions on the use of Starlink remain in effect. The satellite system is used by Ukrainian forces for communications and internet access.
Sources: pravda.com.ua, apnews.com