Credit: Sky News
Volodymyr Zelensky declared on Friday evening that he was ready to cede territories to Russia to end the war for the first time.
Ukraine’s president said his country could temporarily cede land in exchange for a “NATO umbrella” over territory Ukraine still holds.
He added that after agreeing a ceasefire, kyiv could “diplomatically” negotiate the return of eastern territory currently under Russian control.
“If we want to end the burning phase of the war, we must bring under the auspices of NATO the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News.
“This is what we need to do quickly, and then Ukraine can diplomatically recover the other part of its territory,” he added.
The comments represent a considerable change in his position. kyiv has previously said it will continue to fight Russia until Ukraine returns to its internationally recognized borders, which include the four regions annexed by Putin in 2022, as well as Crimea.
The move comes as Donald Trump prepares to take office with a promise to end the war on “day one.” Meanwhile, support for a peace deal is also growing among European allies.
Under plans floated by Mr Trump’s team, a peace deal would see the current front line frozen and Ukraine agree to suspend its ambitions to join NATO for 20 years. If agreed, the United States would provide weapons to Ukraine to deter future Russian aggression.
Mr. Zelensky suggested in his interview that the “NATO umbrella” would not constitute full NATO membership, which Vladimir Putin has rejected as part of any peace deal.
Rather, it could mean that NATO member states, including Britain, the United States, France and Germany, provide individual security guarantees to Ukraine.
