“Freeze and stop.” Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready to end the war where the front line stands today.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would accept a deal that freezes the fighting along the current front lines.
Host Brian Kilmeade asked whether he would accept an agreement in which Ukraine keeps 75% or more of its territory. Zelenskyy answered yes. He called a freeze the minimum Ukraine needs from Russia and said it was the realistic path to ending the war.
Once the fighting stops, he said, Ukraine would turn to the United States and Europe for security guarantees.
Ukrainian outlet UA.News noted that a freeze would mean a ceasefire, not legal recognition of occupied land as Russian. Zelenskyy gave no details on how guarantees would work or how territorial questions would be settled later.
This is not a new position. In June, he said freezing the line was the quickest way to stop the war.
What is happening around it:
🔹 Tuesday in Oslo, Zelenskyy held talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff, with the leaders of Norway and Finland present. He said different ceasefire formats and NATO-style security guarantees were discussed.
🔹 Wednesday, Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg and said there is a foundation in place to move toward a ceasefire. The Kremlin said Putin will review all of Witkoff’s proposals.
🔹 Russia has so far demanded all of the Donetsk region, including areas it does not control, and no NATO membership for Ukraine.
On the same day, Russia released Stephen Hubbard, an American former teacher jailed on mercenary charges.
Is freezing the war on the current front lines the right path to peace?