Zelensky ready for negotiations with Russia under NATO protection

 

For the first time since the start of the war almost three years ago, the Ukrainian president has opened the door to giving up, at least temporarily, the territories occupied by Russia, in exchange for a ceasefire and security guarantees for the rest of the Ukrainian territory.

With AFP

"If we want to end the hot phase of the war, we must place the territory of Ukraine that we control under the aegis of NATO," the president told British broadcaster Sky News, according to an English translation of his words in Ukrainian.

"This is what we must do quickly, and then Ukraine will be able to regain the other part of its territory through diplomatic means," he added.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, this agreement would ensure that Russia does not attack its territory again. "If we talk about a ceasefire, (we need) guarantees that Putin will not return," he said in English.

Russia controls 18% of the internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014. It also annexed the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhia, although it does not control them in their entirety.

Talk of a possible ceasefire or peace deal in the war has intensified since Donald Trump won the US presidential election in early November.

The Republican leader, critical of Washington's multi-billion-dollar aid to kyiv, said during the campaign that he could end the conflict within hours, although he did not say how.

Until now, kyiv has ruled out giving up territory in exchange for peace. Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainians from the territories that Moscow claims to have annexed and is opposed to the former Soviet republic joining NATO.