President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is prepared to freeze combat operations along existing front lines to bring a rapid end to the war, while rejecting territorial concessions and emphasizing that Kyiv will never legally recognize occupied regions as Russian sovereign land.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News broadcast, he addressed prospective diplomatic frameworks to halt ongoing hostilities.
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“Yes, we are ready to put an end to this war as quickly as possible... To freeze the front line,” Zelensky stated.
When asked by the interviewer whether Kyiv would agree to cede 25 percent of Ukrainian territory to achieve peace, Zelensky rejected the premise, clarifying the exact proportion of territory currently held by Russian forces.
“When someone speaks about 25 percent, it implies that we would have to surrender the entire Donbas, and only then would the Russians control 25 percent. Right now, they control 19.3 percent,” Zelensky explained.
The Ukrainian head of state stressed that while Ukraine is open to freezing the conflict along the active line of contact to stop the killing of civilians and soldiers, Kyiv maintains an unyielding red line on legal sovereignty: “We will never recognize the occupied territory as Russian.”
Zelensky also acknowledged that international interlocutors had advanced similar proposals in ongoing backchannel discussions.
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Demands for 10-year military funding and credible guarantees
Zelensky’s comments to ABC News follow an address to Washington’s Hudson Institute on Friday, Oct. 23, in which he warned that Ukraine still lacks concrete commitments from the US and European allies regarding how partners would respond to future Russian military aggression.
Addressing international security specialists, Zelensky argued that any lasting armistice must be anchored by three core pillars: an immediate ceasefire, binding allied defense commitments, and long-term funding to sustain a formidable Ukrainian military.
“We need not just peace. Peace which has to be fair and strong,” Zelensky told the Hudson Institute.
Zelensky proposed the formation of a European-led coalition of willing nations capable of deploying personnel inside Ukraine, backed by American strategic guarantees. However, he questioned what specific actions an American “backstop” would entail if Moscow launched renewed missile barrages or ground offensives.
“Who will react? Not only our army. Who and how? And till now we don’t have answers,” Zelensky observed.
The president emphasized that Ukraine’s primary deterrent against future aggression remains a well-equipped standing military requiring sustained foreign financial support for at least a decade.
“We need a big, big strong army, minimum ten years,” Zelensky said, explaining that Ukraine’s war-damaged domestic economy cannot independently sustain the necessary force structure without multi-year international financing.
Zelensky reiterated that while Kyiv continues to pursue formal NATO membership, bilateral US security guarantees modeled after NATO’s Article 5 and ratified by the US Congress could serve as an effective alternative.
He warned that purely declarative agreements would invite renewed assault, cautioning that “Russia will attack if they feel that they can, if they feel that you are weak.”
Potential Abu Dhabi talks and European diplomatic channels
Zelensky disclosed that Ukrainian, American, and Russian negotiating delegations could convene for tripartite consultations in Abu Dhabi in early or mid-November, though the schedule remains contingent upon the Kremlin’s willingness to engage. The prospective meeting follows preliminary diplomatic contacts conducted in Oslo and Saint Petersburg.
“We are ready to meet any day, even tomorrow, but it all depends on the Russians,” Zelensky said, noting that Moscow derailed a planned October meeting by introducing procedural objections.
Zelensky maintained that an enforceable ceasefire must serve as the primary prerequisite before complex political settlements can advance, designating an armistice as “point number one.”
The diplomatic maneuvering unfolds as European capitals evaluate how to establish direct channels to the Kremlin to ensure European and Ukrainian interests are preserved in any settlement brokered by Washington.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia earlier in the week to discuss parameters for a prospective three-way summit involving Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In response, European leaders have debated appointing an envoy to represent European interests, with figures such as Finnish President Alexander Stubb attracting attention due to Finland’s border management experience and diplomatic communication lines with both Washington and Moscow.
Stubb participated alongside Zelensky and Witkoff in consultations in Oslo on Oct. 20, joined by European Commission presidential aide Björn Seibert.