Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is willing to freeze fighting along the current front lines to end the war with Russia as soon as possible.
In an interview with ABC News on Oct 24, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was prepared to halt hostilities along the existing line of contact.
“Yes, we are ready to end this war as soon as possible … to freeze the front line,” he said.
However, Zelenskyy ruled out giving up Ukrainian territory, responding to a question about whether Kyiv was prepared to surrender 25% of the country.
He said Russia had not occupied a quarter of Ukraine’s territory, adding that such a concession would effectively mean giving up the entire Donbas region.
“When someone talks about 25%, it means we would have to give up the entire Donbas, and then the Russians would control 25%. Right now, they control 19.3%,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine rejects recognition of occupied territories
Zelenskyy stressed that while Ukraine was willing to freeze the current front line, it would never recognise Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia.
He acknowledged that he had “heard such proposals”.
On Oct 21, Zelenskyy told conservative US television network Fox News that he was also prepared to accept a peace agreement that would freeze hostilities along the current front line.
However, Kyiv would not recognise the occupied territories as Russian. Zelenskyy has repeatedly stressed that Moscow’s territorial demands extend beyond Donbas.
Russia’s territorial demands extend beyond Donbas
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks control over at least the territories the Kremlin refers to as “Novorossiya”, including Crimea and eight oblasts in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, new trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to take place in the first half of November.
