Zelensky willing to freeze current battle lines to end war, urges Putin to respond to open letter | Today’s news
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would support freezing the current front lines if it helped secure a ceasefire with Russia, calling it the fastest way to end active fighting and move negotiations to a diplomatic phase.
Zelenskyy was asked by Sky News whether he would agree to freeze the territorial lines where they now stand if a ceasefire was reached.
“Yes. It’s the fastest way,” Zelenskyy said.
“(But) We want to stop the war in a way that the war will not return.”
The Ukrainian leader emphasized that the ceasefire should not only temporarily suspend the fighting.
“The idea is not just to freeze, but the fastest way is to freeze and move it to a diplomatic environment,” he said.
“Not just give Russia what it wants”
Asked whether freezing the front lines would effectively give Russia what it currently controls, Zelensky rejected the suggestion.
“No, it’s not just giving,” he said.
“Staying where we are means giving the people of Ukraine more options to save their children and the soldiers to come back. I think that’s important to us.”
Zelensky urges Putin to respond to his open letter
The Ukrainian president also discussed an open letter he sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday proposing a direct meeting to end the war.
Putin admitted he had seen the letter at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, but said he saw “no point” in meeting Zelensky.
Asked by Hakim about the letter, Zelensky explained why he decided to publish the letter.
“I sent an open letter because I don’t know if he will read it or not,” Zelenskyy said.
“An open letter means he has to answer us about what’s important to his company.”
“They live in a fantastic world”
Zelenskyi accused the Russian leadership of misleading its citizens about the war.
“His society lives in some fantasy world that they haven’t attacked, that it’s not an aggressive war. It’s not serious,” he told Sky News.
“That’s why it’s very important for me to openly share where we are.”
The Ukrainian leader said that communication with ordinary Russians is becoming increasingly difficult due to restrictions imposed by Moscow.
“They shut down the internet and a lot of different things. We don’t have a lot of options to give signals to this country, the country of aggression.”
“They have brought this great war to our country. It must stop.”
Zelenskyy says Putin ‘wasn’t that loud’
According to Zelensky, Russia’s battlefield failures have changed the Kremlin’s public messages.
“At the moment, Putin is not so vocal about the war because of Moscow’s losses on the battlefield,” he said.
Zelenskyi reveals contact with Roman Abramovich
In the interview, Zelenskyi also talked about contacts with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Responding to reports that Abramovich was acting as an intermediary, Zelensky confirmed that the businessman had visited Kyiv.
“He came to Kyiv. He said that I brought the message directly to you and I want to take the message from you and pass it on to Putin,” Zelenskyy told the reporter.
According to the Ukrainian president, Abramovich asked that the communication remain private.
“But he said it had to be done quietly without any publicity.
“I said it’s your choice—it doesn’t matter to us.
“We will not leave Donbas”
Zelenskyy said discussions with Abramovich included questions about possible peace terms, but he made it clear that Ukraine would not give up the disputed Donbas region.
“It was a key message,” Zelenskyy said.
“I said we’re not leaving.
“We won’t give you victory that way.
The comments underscore Kiev’s continued resistance to formal recognition of Russian control over occupied Ukrainian territory.
Abramovich carried messages to Putin, says Zelensky
When asked if Abramovich had really become a channel of communication between Kyiv and Moscow, Zelensky suggested that the businessman had agreed to pass messages directly to the Kremlin.
“When he got the news from me, he said he would go straight to Putin,” Zelenskyy said.
The revelations provide a rare glimpse into behind-the-scenes contacts that have taken place during efforts to explore potential ways to end the war, even as official talks between Ukraine and Russia remain largely on hold.
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