Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to sign a peace agreement with Russia and halt hostilities along the current front line, but Kyiv will not agree to legally recognize occupied territories as part of Russia.
During an interview, a journalist asked whether he would be ready to make a deal if such an opportunity arose today. Zelensky answered yes but stressed that Ukraine was not prepared to give up its territory.
According to the president, Russia currently controls 19.3% of Ukrainian territory, not 25%. He explained that the figure could have reached 25% if Ukraine had agreed to withdraw from its territories in Donbas.
Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to stop the war as soon as possible by freezing the conflict along the current line of contact. However, halting hostilities does not mean Kyiv will recognize Russia’s legal sovereignty over the occupied territories.
The interview also addressed Starlink speed restrictions, shortages of missiles for Patriot air defense systems, and a temporary lack of intelligence on ballistic threats. Zelensky said Starshield speeds remained restricted and that Ukraine had received just 24 Patriot missiles from a strategic partner over the past 90 days.
Addressing the supply of European missiles, he noted that the United States had not signed the relevant agreement. At the same time, the president acknowledged that he did not feel Washington’s support was sufficient.
Zelensky also said that, under wartime conditions, Ukraine could not afford to have a weak leader and intended to push back against any pressure, even if his response was not always polite. According to him, the country’s survival requires a strong army, president, and people.
Speaking about the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said befriending the Russian president was a personal choice for the US leader and that the two had developed fairly good relations.
Zelensky’s position shows that halting hostilities and resolving the territorial issue are two separate matters for Kyiv. Willingness to freeze the conflict along the current line of contact could pave the way for negotiations, but it does not in itself resolve the status of the occupied territories. This is where the main difficulty in reaching a possible peace agreement lies.
His statements on military assistance also reveal the practical challenges facing Ukraine’s security. Limited supplies of Patriot missiles and Starshield speed restrictions show that the country’s defense capabilities depend not only on decisions made domestically but also on support from its partners. At the same time, dissatisfaction with relations with the United States could complicate political negotiations.
It remains unclear under what conditions the sides could reach an agreement and how the legal status of the territories would be resolved. Zelensky’s statement signals a willingness to end the war, but not a promise to make concessions at any cost.
